By Greg Stewart
The DP World Tour heads into its second Tournament for the 2022 season. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship event this year is to be hosted at the Kyle Phillips designed Yas Links Course in Abu Dhabi for the first time from the 20th to 23rd January 2022 after a long break since the Joburg Open in November 2021. The Par 72 Yas Championship Links course, ranked 48th in the world, located on the west shore of Yas Island opened in 2010 and is the first true links course in the UAE.
The biggest challenge for the players this week will be contending with the windy conditions expected for this weekend. Like most great Links courses the Yas Links greens will be firm and wayward T-shots will be punished. The massive bunkers and thick rough will be a test for all who venture where the mowers don’t go. Hopefully the windy conditions will suit SA players like Erik van Rooyen and Garrick Higgo who thrive in tough playing conditions.
Collin Morikawa, world No2 is a class act and the 2021 Open Champion and 2021 Race to Dubai champion will make his first appearance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with World No7 Victor Hovland and Rory McIlroy (world No8), the 2021 HSBC champion Tyrrell Hatton (world No22) and Double Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Tommy Fleetwood all chasing down the American across the Links course over four tough windy days.
South African players included in the field are Garrick Higgo, Brandon Stone, Dean Burmester, Erik van Rooyen, Justin Harding and Daniel van Tonder.
Higgo in particular has been praised by Gary Player as a young player with a great future in world golf and is one to watch and is at a juicy 7:1 for a top 10, and 13:1 for a top 5 on SunBet. With a prize purse of $8 million and 8000 WP World tour points up for grabs, there is everything to play for, so one can expect 4 days of riveting golf.
Golf Betting Odds for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
Winner Outright on SunBet
Other interesting betting Options on SunBet: