The tournament begins on Thursday 20 January.
Abu Dhabi no doubt holds a special place in the heart of Tommy Fleetwood.
The world number nine recorded back-to-back wins in the capital of the UAE in 2017 and 2018; two feats that take up 25 per cent of his trophy cabinet.
And while the Englishman admits that he has very happy memories of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship which he hopes to draw on over four days, he believes the switch of scenes to Yas Links Abu Dhabi from Abu Dhabi Golf Club will be like playing a completely new tournament.
“The course is a different test. But I think you obviously draw on [the fact that] I’ve had success in the area. First event of the year that it’s been for the last few years, and you never quite know what to expect.
“I always feel very aware that I haven’t played a tournament for a while and you feel rusty. But I think once you get going and once you get into, it starts to pick up things about your game and you feel a lot more in the flow of things.
“[I will] Draw on all the good experiences I’ve had in this event, and take the next two days to learn about the course and start again.”
The 30-year-old will be the first man to acknowledge that 2021 was a year that he won’t look back on too fondly from a golf perspective but he says the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship offers him a chance to see if he has shaken off the shackles that dogged his performance throughout the previous 12 months and see where he is within the world pecking order due to stellar line-up at the event.
“It’s the first event of the year; so a great result or a bad result are not defining it in any way, but you obviously know you want it one way.
“It’s great for the sport and it’s great for this event to have so many great players here, and I’m always excited to come back. I love playing over here. I love golf over here. I love how popular it is.
“But I’ve had success here, so there’s a lot of good things going for me and for this week for me, and just excited to get going.”
Speaking on the new move to the stunning Yas Island based golf course, the former champ argues that due to the course’s proximity to the water the wind will play more of a role in determining who raises the Falcon trophy come 6pm on Sunday 23 January.
“The wind obviously plays a massive part. So that’s going to play very much like a links.
“I say it’s a completely different test; it’s a different test to what we’ve always had at the other golf course but at the same time, I think still, driving and ball-striking were always paramount at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and they are here, as well.
“As different as the course might look and feel, there’s still a lot of things that you have to do right on a weekly basis.”
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship tees off at Yas Links Abu Dhabi on Thursday 20 January 2022.
Tickets are free of charge and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster UAE.
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