What’s Happening on Tour This Week – January 19th to 22nd
All Square 2min read •
18 Jan 2017
European Tour
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
It is the start of a special part of the European Tour calendar. This week we see the start of the Desert Swing and what a field we have! The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is the first outing of 2017 for many of the world’s best players.
In the field this week we have three of the four current major champions: Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, and Henrik Stenson. We also have last year’s winner, Rickie Fowler and the golfer who finished the year red hot, Alex Noren. It is going to be a great tournament as always!
Players to look out for this week include those already mentioned, of course, but there are some other names to pay attention to. It will be exciting to see how Thorbjørn Olesen starts his season after his World Cup win. Rafa Cabrera Bello is another to watch too. This is one of the best fields of the year so a great event is sure to unfold.
This Pro-Am, which used to be called the Bob Hope Classic, then the Humana Challenge, is a bit like The Dunhill Links on the European Tour. Played over three courses, PGA West Stadium, PGA West and La Quinta Country Club this event will see many stars of American sport out there with PGA Tour players.
The format of the event is a round at each of the three courses with a 54-hole cut. The final round will then be played at the PGA West. Pete Dye designed the course and was charged with building golf’s toughest tournament course. Well, like many of the courses he designed in the 80s, Dye succeeded when he created this brute! The scenery on the course is stunning but it is an incredibly tough track.
Phil Mickelson will make his first start of the season this week. We will also see the return of the defending champion Jason Dufner. Other players to watch this week include Bill Haas a two-time former champion, Jamie Lovemark and Zach Johnson who had great performances last week and Emiliano Grillo who was the PGA Tour 2016 Rookie of the Year.
As always, All Square will keep you up to date with whatever is happening in the world of golf. Happy viewing!
