The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship News

Day Four - Sunday 20th January 2013

James Donaldson was crowned Abu Dhabi’s latest golf giant today, as he held-off stiff challenges from world number five Justin Rose and Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen to win the eighth Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship by a single stroke.

A co-leader with Rose on Thursday evening, Donaldson, the current world number 47, remained in contention throughout the weekend after carding rounds of 70 and 69. Playing in the day’s penultimate pairing, two birdies on the front nine and a spirited run of three birdies down the back, including 14 and 15, secured the Welshman’s biggest career win and a cheque for US$450,000.

“Golf’s a funny game. You don’t win anything for ages and then two come along in a year,” said the 37-year-old, who broke his European Tour duck by winning last year’s Irish Open.

Expected to jump into the world’s top 30 following his Abu Dhabi Golf Club triumph, Donaldson found green-after-green in regulation and sunk huge birdie putts down the stretch. The only bogey on his card, an eight-footer on 18, set-up a nail-biting finale and the possibility of Abu Dhabi’s first-ever play-off.

With Rose chasing a wire-to-wire victory, the Englishman and playing partner Olesen both missed birdie chances in front of an expectant gallery to ensure Donaldson’s name joins those of Chris DiMarco, Paul Casey, Martin Kaymer and Robert Rock on the Falcon trophy.

“It’s pretty surreal really,” added Donaldson, after receiving the trophy from His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, the Championship organiser. “I’ve played really good all week although I’ve got away with murder up the last. I thought one of them would hole if not both; when both putts slipped by it was my week.”

After narrowly missing out on crowning his Abu Dhabi debut with a win, a magnanimous Rose confessed he had failed to capitalise. “It was a long, hard week to end up finishing second,” he said. “Jamie played a good round of golf today, which I expected. I did some things on the back nine that really, really counted but I was enjoying the last hole, trying to make birdie and force the playoff.”

Two shots off the lead at the start of the day, Olesen had briefly joined the leaders after birdies on holes four and five. Just as Olesen’s title tilt was taking shape, the National Course bared its teeth. The Dane drove into bushes off the sixth fairway and incurred a penalty drop and, with the wind knocked out his sails, the resulting double-bogey six dented the young hopeful’s charge.

Day Three - Saturday 19th January 2013

An afternoon of pulsating drama on a sun-drenched National Course ensured the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship will be decided in a ‘Super Sunday’ showdown at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Overnight leader Justin Rose - now only 18 holes from securing a memorable wire-to-wire win on his Abu Dhabi debut - remains top of the leaderboard for the third day running.

After a morning of low scoring, Rose carded a cool, calm and collected round of 68 – his third consecutive sub-70 score – to enter the clubhouse at 12-under par, two shots ahead of Dane Thorbjørn Olesen and Welshman Jamie Donaldson at 10-under.

The Englishman’s lead, however, could have been wider. With six holes to play Rose was four strokes clear of the chasing pack, before bogeys on holes 13 and 17 - coupled with Donaldson and Olesen both holing birdie putts on 18 – slashed his lead to a single stroke. With the pressure building, Rose birdied 18 to restore a two shot cushion for the final round.
“I was a little bit mad about the bogey at 17,” said Rose. “But all week, I've been very resilient and bounced back well. Great swings and a chip and a putt at the last, restored the order of the day I suppose, which makes me feel good. Every time I had the club in hand I felt like I was going to hit a good shot. Some days you have to work harder than others but today was a day where it felt pretty smooth.”

With thousands of fans flanking fairways throughout the day, serene conditions catalysed a plethora of low scores. India’s SSP Chowrasia, playing in the second pairing out on course, made light of his world number 452 ranking to post the Championship’s best round of the week - a scintillating, bogey-free 65. With a quartet of players - Thongchai Jaidee, Ricardo Santos, Bernd Weisberger and Peter Hanson – all carding six-under rounds of 66, Australia’s Andrew Dodt was the only man to equal Chowrasia’s superlative effort.

Jaidee’s late surge propelled him to fourth, one shot ahead of a three-way tie for fifth featuring Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, England’s David Howell and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño. “It’s lovely to feel like you're right in the mix because this is the first really big tournament of the year,” said Howell.

The congested leaderboard sees Dodt, Santos and Michael Campbell tied-eighth at seven-under. Triple Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer and South Africa’s Jbe Kruger are one shot further back at six-under.

With the emirate’s golf fans taking advantage of a tournament promotion granting free entry to anyone wearing Championship colours, the National Course was a sea of red. With grandstands and sponsor areas packed out all over the course, officials from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the Championship organiser, are predicting a showdown to remember when play resumes at 07:29am on Sunday.

“Justin is playing very consistently but there is a hungry pack right behind him. These guys will not rest until the final putt is sunk,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, TCA Abu Dhabi’s Events Manager. “Another dramatic tussle for the Falcon trophy is shaping up and the final day is likely to throw up a few surprises. Abu Dhabi cannot wait to crown a deserving winner tomorrow.”

Day Two - Friday 18th January 2013

Overnight leader Justin Rose basked in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship sunshine today, the world number five carding an assured morning round of 69 to end the day one-shot clear of a three-strong chasing pack at eight-under par.

Under clear blue skies and striking sunshine – in stark contrast to the snowfall besieging the Englishman’s homeland – Rose thrived amid strong support from packed Abu Dhabi galleries.

“Conditions were perfect, absolutely perfect,” said Rose. “I felt like I hit the ball pin‑high an awful lot today and I guess that tells you that you’re swinging the club well. I felt good about my game.”

With reigning champion Robert Rock forced to withdraw from the Championship due to illness, Rose played a spectator-friendly, morning two-ball with Ernie Els. The Big Easy shot one-over to finish even par after 36 holes, well within the two-over par cut.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson, joint-top at the start of the day, kept in contention with a solid 70 and sits one stroke behind Rose, along with Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, who posted a bogey-free 69, and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, who shot 67 - the day’s best round.

Castaño revealed he had discovered the secret of scoring well on the National Course: “Both days now I’ve started with a bogey at the first, so apparently that's what I have to do tomorrow to make the birdies come.”

Abu Dhabi debutant, Jason Dufner, the world number 11, found his form with a composed 69 that left him tied-seventh in an eight-strong group at four-under par featuring triple Abu Dhabi champion, Martin Kaymer, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, South Africa’s Branden Grace and George Coetzee, England’s David Howell and New Zealand’s Michael Campbell.

Italian hotshot Matteo Manassero, who this week extended his global golf ambassador role for Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the Championship organiser, is also at four-under following a birdie-littered 68. “Abu Dhabi’s like home in some ways,” said Manassero. “I think it's my fourth time at the Championship but I've been here many more times to practice – it seems to be helping and I’m set-up for a push now.”

Amazingly, the world’s top two players, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, will not complete the weekend.

Watched by a dense pack of expectant spectators, Woods, the world number two, got off to a nightmare start. The American’s disastrous front-nine included four bogeys over the first five holes before three birdies on-the-spin over holes 14-16 sparked a mini renaissance.

When Woods sank a par putt on the 18th green, few would have predicted the drama that followed. Woods emerged from the scorers’ hut with a two-shot penalty for moving his ball without taking a penalty stroke when it was plugged in sand on the fifth. The penalty moved Woods from one-over to three-over and outside the cut.

“I fought hard today,” said Woods. “I got off to a bad start and I battled back and got it to where I thought I could play the weekend. I thought I might have a chance to post two low rounds but I won't be able to do that.”

Playing in an eye-catching pairing with Woods and Kaymer, an off-colour McIlroy faced a more conventional exit - a second consecutive round of 75 leaving the world number one a mammoth four shots shy of the cut. “It's very disappointing,” said McIlroy. “You really want to get off to a nice start of the season but I've got to realise that it’s only the start and there's a lot of work to be done.”

Day One - Thursday 17th January 2013

A British double-act tops the opening day leaderboard at the US$2.7million Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, with England’s world number five, Justin Rose, and Welshman Jamie Donaldson, the world number 47, sharing the summit at five-under par.

Following a calm, largely-windless morning at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the National Course’s sun-kissed fairways bit back in the afternoon, as unseasonal breezes outfoxed an assortment of the world’s most prominent players – most notably world number one, Rory McIlroy, who toiled to a three-over par 75.

Behind Rose and Donaldson, a veritable United Nations of players lie primed to attack the overnight leaders. Thorbjorn Oleson (Denmark) and Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) sit at four-under par, while Liang Weng-chong (China), George Coetzee (South Africa), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Michael Campbell (New Zealand) and David Howell (England) are one further back.

World number two, Tiger Woods, playing in a crowd-pulling pairing with McIlroy and triple Abu Dhabi champion, Martin Kaymer, carded a 72 to reach the clubhouse at par. Woods’ dramatic, topsy-turvy round featured a scintillating eagle putt that menacingly flirted with the cup on 18 and a mishit drive that narrowly broke the 100-yard mark on hole one.

EMIRATI AL MARZOUQI KEEPS CALM IN TOUGH CONDITIONS

Emirati golfer Sohail Al Marzouqi put in a spirited performance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship today to finish nine-over par.

The 20-year-old looked calm and relaxed throughout the day but a triple bogey on nine, his last hole, soured what was otherwise a brave display in testing conditions.

“Coming into the tournament, everyone was expecting me to be nervous, but I managed to stay calm and steady,” he said.  “More than anything I was really excited to be a part of it.

“I had my ups and downs and at times I had to get back to my rhythm.  I would say the highlight of my round today was the chip in for a birdie on the 18th.  I messed up a bit at the end though.  I tried to rip the drive on the ninth but unfortunately it ended up in the water.”

Al Marzouqi is flying the flag for the UAE as the sole Emirati golfer taking part in the tournament after qualifying at an Emirates Golf Federation-backed event earlier this month.

“It was a little bit unbelievable to be playing the National Course at the same time as Tiger Woods,” he said.

Justin Gets First Win of New Season

As the world of golf fixes its gaze on Abu Dhabi Golf Club for this week’s eighth Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, four Falcon trophy contenders – the USA’s Jason Dufner, South Africa’s Ernie Els, England’s Justin Rose and Italy’s Matteo Manassero - have experimented with a hybrid golf-meets-darts contest at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, an eco-conscious course on the emirate’s environmentally-protected Saadiyat Island.

With each golfer partnering an HSBC global sporting ambassador, the two-man teams were challenged to play 109-yard approaches onto the sixth green of the Gary Player-designed ocean-front course. Each shot accrued points based on where the ball landed in rings of natural grass or sand circling out from the pin. A hole-in-one scored a team 360 points, the five-feet ring 180 points, the 10-foot ring 140 points, the 15-foot ring 100 points and the 20-foot ring 60 points. Balls which landed on the green but outside the rings accrued 20 points.

The format was simple: teams were split into semi-finals and given six shots – or darts – in total with each player taking three. The team with the highest score after six shots would progress.

The final was another one-way affair. Rose and Henman, buoyed by their last-shot semi-final win, set a mammoth six-shot target of 620 for Davies and Manassero, who couldn’t replicate their earlier effort and fired a total of 420. The English duo was victorious.

“I brought my ‘A’ game and I’ve definitely honed my competitive edge ahead of the Championship,” joked Rose. “Tim was superb, he kept us in going in that first game. Hopefully this is the first victory of many this season.”

Rose Ready to Rumble in Abu Dhabi

World number five, Justin Rose, has attributed his pivotal Ryder Cup performance with revitalising his own trust in his game and says he has never felt so confident heading into a new season.

Rose, making his Abu Dhabi debut this weekend, believes his Ryder Cup heroics could be the turning point in his career and is relishing taking on the world’s top players – including Rory McIlroy, the world number one,  and 14-time Major winner, Tiger Woods - at the US $2.7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

“I think the Ryder Cup was big for me,” said Rose. “I was really making putts when I needed to - that was huge. Backing it up in Turkey was another big week for me confidence-wise and in Dubai, the way I went down the stretch there, I had my final round going but then didn't let up. I just kept hitting good shots and felt like the more the pressure was on, the calmer and better I became.”

Rory McIlroy Joins Nike

Nike Golf today announced at a press conference in Abu Dhabi that Rory McIlroy has signed a multi-year agreement with the company.  McIlroy now represents the Swoosh in clubs, ball, footwear, glove, apparel, headwear and accessories.  He is making his debut as a Nike athlete this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

A self professed sports nut, McIlroy has been a fan of the Nike brand since he was a child and is excited to continue his career with the number one sports brand in the world.  “I chose Nike for a number of reasons,” said McIlroy.  “It’s a company and a brand that really resonates with me.  It’s young. It’s athletic. It’s innovative.  They are committed to being the best, as am I.  Signing with Nike is another step towards living out my dream.”

“Rory is an extraordinary athlete who creates enormous excitement with his on-course performance while, at the same time, connecting with fans everywhere,” said Cindy Davis, President of Nike Golf.  “He is the epitome of a Nike Athlete, and he is joining our team during the most exciting time in Nike Golf’s history.  We are looking forward to partnering with him to take his remarkable career to the next level.” 

The 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who is known for his length off the tee, will be playing with the world’s first high speed cavity back driver that conforms to USGA and R&A Rules, the Nike VR_S Covert.  “The new VR_S Covert driver, is completely different,” said McIlroy. “It’s the first cavity back driver. It’s striking, it looks cool and it performs unbelievably well.”

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods likely to be paired togther

World number one, Rory McIlroy and 14 time major winner, Tiger Woods are set to be paired together for the opening two rounds of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Tournament Director, Peter German speaking about the two biggest attractions in the capital told "The Grill" that "The chances are that we will pair the two together. It's what the galleries and TV audience want to see so I'd say it's highly like you will see Tiger and Rory playing together on Thursday and Friday."

The first round of the championship gets underway on Thursday.

STARS IN THEIR EYES: Young volunteers ready for Abu Dhabi's return of the giants.

For some, Katy Perry is the biggest star. For Emilio Martin de Bustamante, a student at the American Community School in Abu Dhabi, its golf legend Rory McIlroy. While getting anywhere near Katy is a difficult task, it´s easy to get up close and personal with Rory - at least from January 17-20th. That´s when the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is taking place at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Emilio will be one of 120 children from schools in Abu Dhabi that are gearing up to become volunteers for the big event. He and his fellow volunteers are getting ready for Abu Dhabi´s return of the giants!

Aged 15 and upwards, the small army of students from Abu Dhabi’s American Community School, Al Raha International School and Al Yasmina School form part of a 400-strong dedicated volunteer group that will get inside the Championship ropes working as marshals, stewards, walking scoreboard holders and leaderboard operators. For Emilio, a volunteer for the past three years, this clearly is his annual highlight.

Especially, as the National Course field will not only feature the world´s number one golfer Rory McIlroy. Also14-time Major winner Tiger Woods will be there, together with top 10 players Jason Dufner and Justin Rose, or reigning Open Championship holder Ernie Els.

The more top notch players come to the capital, the greater the volunteers´ enthusiasm. The interest from schoolchildren has grown beyond recognition since being rolled out for the first tournament in 2006, says Jean Iggo, the Championship’s Volunteer Co-ordinator. “The schools’ volunteer programme is very beneficial to both the Championship and the students,” says Jean. “A lot of students get involved for their community hours and many of them return each year of their own accord, which is fantastic to see. They share their experiences with new students and mentor them, which helps us forge a stronger team to get the job done.”

With so many volunteer jobs available, Jean Iggo says the students thrive when entrusted with the most important tasks, such as managing the all-important leaderboards. “The updating and co-ordination of the leaderboards is obviously a very important task for the Championship and requires a lot of organisation and skills. Naturally, the board changes every few minutes so the team use handheld radios to make sure everything is correct and up-to-date. Teamwork is essential to the volunteer role and students always leave the Championship having gained valuable life experience and some with the ambition to have their name on a leaderboard in the future.”

With golf appearing on a growing number of Abu Dhabi school’s physical education curriculum, the Championship offers students a unique opportunity to experience the world’s best at close. Many student volunteers take up golf full-time following the four-day stints inside the ropes. 

“The Championship is my favourite event in Abu Dhabi,” says Emilio. “I love taking part and helping out wherever I can. Watching Tiger Woods last year was really inspiring and motivating for me to play even more. Also, the fact that younger players like Matteo Manassero are playing at such a high level shows us that anything is possible with the right amount of training. This year I will be carrying a score board, so I get to walk around with the players. I can’t wait!”

Kaymer and Casey back in Abu Dhabi

With five Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship titles between them, former champions Martin Kaymer (2008, 2010 and 2011) and Paul Casey (2007, 2009) are eyeing the ‘familiar surroundings’ of Abu Dhabi as they look to tee-off their respective seasons. Back in Abu Dhabi to contest next week’s eighth Championship - running Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 - the European pair, who swapped ownership of the Falcon trophy in an all-conquering half-decade between 2007 and 2011, both cited the ‘home comforts’ of Abu Dhabi Golf Club as a motivator to return to winning ways.

Once ranked world number three, England’s Casey, the Championship’s first double winner, is eager to put his injury-plagued 2012 season behind him. After withdrawing from the Abu Dhabi field 12 months ago with a dislocated shoulder suffered in a freak snowboarding accident, Casey – an eternal favourite of Abu Dhabi’s galleries - slipped to 122 following a recurrence of the problem before June’s US Open.

Kaymer, the towering 6 feet 2 inch (1.84 metres) German who was the Championship’s first triple winner, is equally keen to rekindle past National Course glories. In 2008, the then-24-year-old shot an aggregate 15 under par in a pulsating wire-to-wire victory - his maiden European Tour title. After finishing second to Casey a year later, Kaymer made it two wins in three attempts in 2010 with a nail-biting one-shot victory over England’s Ian Poulter.

The German’s crowning Abu Dhabi glory, however, came two years ago. With two-time winners Kaymer and Casey both chasing an historic Abu Dhabi hat-trick, it was the Dusseldorf-born wunderkid who emerged victorious. Kaymer posted an aggregate four-round score of 24 under par to set a new – and still unsurpassed – record Championship score. Kaymer’s scintillating form left him eight shots clear of current world number one, Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have both confirmed they will play Abu Dhabi in 2013

The world’s top two players, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, will head an all-star cast of the biggest names in golf at the eighth annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship - running January 17-20 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

After dazzling local galleries when paired over the opening 54 holes of this year’s tournament, McIlroy, a two-time Major winner and the current world number one, and Woods, widely-recognised as the most high-profile player in the sport’s history and a 14-time Major winner, will head the battle for Abu Dhabi’s prestigious falcon trophy and a share of the event’s US $2.7m prize purse.

Peter German

Tournament Director Peter German speaks to Tom Bushell ahead of the 2013 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Giles Morgan

Giles Morgan, Global Head of Sponsorship & Events for HSBC, is excited for the 2013 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and comitted to the Middle East.

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