Westwood Kaymer and mickelson up for the Abu Dhabi Golf Challenge
Speaking on the eve of the 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, England’s Lee Westwood declared he is ready to fight off any challenge to his recently-acquired world number one status, with a commanding performance in the UAE capital a must.
Having missed last year’s cut, the 37-year-old, who has 20 European Tour wins to his name, is more confident about this weekend’s Abu Dhabi appearance, having already spent time in the emirate working on his game after a long winter break.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard over 17 years to get to world number one and I’m not going to give it up for anything,” revealed Westwood, a key member of the 2010 Ryder Cup winning European team. “My swing feels pretty solid and my short game is pretty sharp. I think as the week progresses, I’ll get more comfortable on the greens.
“I’m very much looking forward to this week, now that my winter break is behind me. I came out to the UAE a week ago to do some practice here. I played The Invitational on Monday at Yas Links and got a feel of trying to score again, so I’ve been gradually shaking off the rust. I’m looking forward to getting going tomorrow.”
Westwood, one of many golfing stars teeing off this week at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, knows he has a big task ahead of him, with the Championship boasting a field comprising six of the top 10 players as well as all four 2010 Major winners, including Martin Kaymer, the reigning US PGA champion and double Abu Dhabi winner.
The 26-year-old German had a career defining year in 2010, which began by securing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for the second time last January. He also won two other tournaments, as well as the PGA Championship, which confirmed his status as one of Europe’s most promising talents.
Now the man from Dusseldorf is eager to become the first golfer in history to lift Abu Dhabi’s Falcon trophy for a third time.
“It is a fantastic tournament,” said Kaymer, speaking before taking part in the Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday. “Every year, I look forward to coming back here and starting off the season in Abu Dhabi. They have changed the course a little bit since last year but if I get a good start, hopefully it will work out for me again.
“My New year’s goals are to defend my title here and to play the Majors even better than I did last year. So there’s a lot happening. My focus for the year will to be a little more on practicing and further improving my game.”
Phil Mickelson, winner of the 2010 Masters, will make his Middle East debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which starts tomorrow (Thursday, January 20), and the American expressed his excitement about playing in the region for the first time.
“With the world number one and three fellow Major winners from 2010, having such a strong field gives you a real idea of where your game stands,” said Mickelson, a four-time Major winner and one of the PGA Tour’s most prolific golfers.
“You’re playing against the best players here. I think it’s going to be exciting for people to watch but it’s also going to be exciting from a player’s point of view to have an opportunity to really see where your game is today, on day one. The only way to know where you stand is to play against the best,” he added.
This year the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, running 20-23rd January, will offer a purse of US$2.7 million, the highest of the European Tour’s four event ‘Desert Swing’.
The 2011 Championship – which sees HSBC, the world’s local bank, take the role of title sponsor – is also expecting to attract its biggest ever spectator turnout. Golf fans and their families will have access to a substantially expanded Championship Village with more attractions, restaurants, cafes and competitions.
