The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA 2020: Preview

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA has become one of the flagship events of the European Tour since its inauguration in 2006. The 2020 championship, taking place between January 16-19, promises to be as exciting as ever.

Contested on the Championship course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates, the event attracts the biggest names in golf and has an illustrious list of past champions and runner-ups including Rory McIlroy, Ricky Fowler, Martin Kaymer, and Phil Mickelson. 

Flagship event

In 2019 the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA was elevated to become one of the European Tour’s eight premium events that form the Rolex Series. As a Rolex Series event, the prize fund stands at a huge US$7 million, over double the amount of regular European Tour events. The 7,000 Race to Dubai points on offer are also over double the amount of regular European Tour events. These points contribute to a player’s position in the Race to Dubai standings, which replaced the European Tour’s Order of Merit in 2009. 

The world’s best players

The world’s top ranked golfers from the PGA and European tours have once again signed up to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA. World number 19 Shane Lowry will be looking to record back-to-back wins after his thrilling one-shot victory over South African Richard Sterne last season, which kick-started an unforgettable season for the Irishman who went on to clinch his first major victory in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July.

2017 and 2018 champion Tommy Fleetwood also returns, with the aim of becoming only the second player after Germany’s Martin Kaymer (2008, 2010, 2011) to win the tournament three times. The Englishman will be looking to build on his Rolex Series play-off victory in the 2019 Nedbank Golf Challenge in November.

World number one and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka will be looking to start the year off on a high after three months out with a knee injury. Among the other big names to have announced their participation, former world number five Ian Poulter, who finished T-6 at last year’s championship, will be making his fifth consecutive appearance and will be feeling confident on a course he knows well.

2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia will be making his first appearance at the tournament since 2014, while five-time PGA Tour winner Bryson DeChambeau will be bringing his unique brand of golf to the tournament. 

The National Course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club

First staged in 2006, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA is being hosted at the iconic Championship course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club for the 15th consecutive year. The par-72, 7,440-yard layout provides a stern challenge with 90 strategically placed bunkers and seven saltwater lakes. The perfectly manicured fairways, carved out of the surrounding desert by leading designer Peter Harradine, weave through undulating terrain that features pockets of palms and ornamental trees and shrubs.

The architecturally striking Falcon clubhouse has become iconic and the championship’s Falcon Trophy, lifted by the winner, is inspired by its design.