Jordan Spieth, the reigning Masters and US Open champion, will make his Middle East debut in January after he was confirmed on Wednesday for the 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

The American, the current world No. 1, heads another star-studded field that includes four of the top seven players in the global rankings, with Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson having also been secured for the January 21-24 event. More announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

Landing Spieth, 22, represents a major coup for the championship, since only last month he was named PGA Tour player of the year following a breakout 2015.

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Spieth won five times, including the first two majors of the year, while he missed the play-off at The Open by one shot and finished runner-up in the US PGA Championship. His success ensured he set a PGA Tour earnings record of $12 million (Dh44m), before winning the FedEx Cup crown and its $10m bonus.

His inclusion at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the New Year is sure to attract significant numbers to the National Course. The tournament, in its 11th iteration, has become one of the most popular on the European Tour and kicks off the three-legged Desert Swing, which comprises Abu Dhabi, the Qatar Masters and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Spieth will be joined at the $2.7m event by McIlroy, the world No 3 and four-time major champion, world No 5 Fowler and world No 7 Stenson. Fowler made his Abu Dhabi debut last year, finishing tied-66th. McIlroy, meanwhile, was runner-up for the fourth time in five years, coming home one shot behind Frenchman Gary Stal.

Stenson, going for a third successive DP World Tour Championship win next week in Dubai, has competed in every Abu Dhabi Golf Championship since its inception in 2006. The Swede holds the course record, a 62 set during the third round in its inaugural run. He has won three of the other Middle East events and needs only the Falcon Trophy to complete the set.

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