The tournament starts on Thursday 20 January.
The last time Collin Morikawa struck a golf ball in the UAE was the final putt of his round to secure The Race to Dubai championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The November win capped off a stellar year for the Californian who took home The Open Championship, was part of the successful USA team who regained the Ryder Cup and became DP World Tour number one.
But instead of feeling the pressure of expectation coming to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the 24-year-old says he enjoys wearing the crown as the man to beat and wants to begin the new season by adding to his trophy collection.
“There’s a lot of weight that’s on your shoulders right now. It’s a great weight to have and I want to come back as strong as ever.
“I want to start these first two weeks off on a real high note and hopefully come out with a couple trophies.”
It will be Morikawa’s debut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship which coincides with Yas Links Abu Dhabi hosting the tournament for the first time after 16 years at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Having played a quick round on the front nine yesterday, the world number one reveals he liked what he saw from the course.
“It’s a very good golf course. Coming from Kapalua where the fairways are about a hundred yards wide, this looks pretty narrow.
“I think the conditions are going to prove tough. We’re going to have a lot of wind this week, a lot of different winds from what we are seeing on Monday and Tuesday compared to what the tournament is going to be. A lot of slopes in these greens, a lot of undulations and a lot of run-offs. You’ve got to be sharp and you’ve got to know this course.
“But when you have greens like this and you have a lot of new slopes and you have to learn a golf course, I’m going to have to do my homework. Like I’m going to have to spend a little more time out there preparing and learning what to do because if I don’t know where a slope is and I somehow hit it there and I’m a little surprised, that’s going to be a problem for the entire week.”
Tickets to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship are free of charge and can be purchased on Ticketmaster UAE.
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