Inicio News Pieters feeling ready to defend Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Pieters feeling ready to defend Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Compartir
Thomas Pieters of Belgium talks in a press conference prior to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Golf Course on January 18, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
Thomas Pieters of Belgium talks in a press conference prior to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Golf Course on January 18, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)

Thomas Pieters will attempt to defend his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title this week and will be joined by Séamus Power, who makes his tournament debut at the opening Rolex Series event of the season.

The Belgian won his maiden Rolex Series title in Abu Dhabi last year, securing a one-stroke victory, and will be targeting back-to-back wins at the immaculate Yas Links on Yas Island, as the 2023 Rolex Series, the five premium events on the DP World Tour, gets under way in style.

Power, meanwhile, makes his tournament debut following his appearance in last week’s Hero Cup. The Irishman won his second PGA TOUR title at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October last year and currently leads the FedExCup Standings.

There are 19 members from last week’s Hero Cup teams teeing it up at Yas Links this week, including 2021 winner Tyrrell Hatton, as well as Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and his Vice Captains Thomas Bjørn, Nicolas Colsaerts and Edoardo Molinari.

This week marks the second time the event has been held on Yas Island, after 2022 heralded a new chapter for the tournament which highlights Abu Dhabi as an international sports hub with the season ending F1 Championship and Ultimate Fighting Championship also taking residency at the world-class venue.

The DP World Tour has further strengthened its commitment to environmental responsibility by announcing that all five of its Rolex Series tournaments in 2023 will be carbon neutral and will adopt a consistent and highly credible approach to carbon reduction and climate mitigation.

Player quotes

Thomas Pieters: “They definitely remind me that I’ve won here. My face is on every building. I’ve never had that before. It’s such a strange feeling. But playing the back nine yesterday was kind of special. It was my first Rolex Series, and to kind of relive those shots with my caddie yesterday was, I’m not going to say emotional but was very special.

“It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. The grass is so consistent, so tight. You’ll see some amazing short game this week I think.

“I definitely want to be in the Top 50. I want to get as high as possible because that’s where you’re going to win trophies. You’re not going to get to Number Eight or Seven in the world without winning trophies or you’re going to be very unlucky to finish second all the time.”

Séamus Power: “If it’s not the best conditioned course I’ve ever seen it’s definitely close. Beautiful setting. My first I’m on Yas Island. I didn’t realise what I was coming to. It’s gorgeous. That whole setup is top-notch. It’s been great.

“It’s so different, because it looks different, but it plays like a links course to me. It’s much greener. We play in the summer when courses are running as fast as this one. It’s burned out fairways like we saw a couple summers ago at Carnoustie and we had fairways running forever. These fairways are green and in perfect condition and running fast. It’s unusual because visually it looks a little different.

“I got here last Tuesday. On Wednesday, I said to my caddie, I’m not surprised there’s so many guys basing themselves in this part of the world. You couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s gorgeous. You kind of forget that it’s January.

“Obviously the scene back home, it’s tough going. You’re getting all the guys in the chat group, courses closed here, courses closed there. To be here, you’re in shorts every day possible. It makes a world of difference as golfers. You need good weather, you need good courses, and yeah, for January, not going to be beat what we have here.

“I would have known the names of the guys on the team last week but not actually the person, so that part was fantastic. You know, playing international and all that stuff years ago, was great fun in the team room. To get over here for two weeks and get to know some of those guys and obviously play, it’s been a dream couple of weeks.”