Already counting the world number one and all four current Major winners in its ranks, this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship has scored another ace with news that 2010 winning Ryder Cup captain, Colin Montgomerie, the Molinari brothers, double Major winner Retief Goosen, and flamboyant Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, are in the stellar cast, which also includes six of the world’s top 10.

All but one of Europe’s winning 2010 Ryder Cup team will now contest the US$2.7 million European Tour 2011 opener, teeing off at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Thursday (January 20). They join a star-studded field that holds 15 Major titles, 340 European Tour wins and 42 Ryder cup victories between them.

Over four days at the National Course, the European Tour’s Middle East Desert Swing opener will host golfers from more than 25 nations on its pristine fairways and greens – reflecting the growing international recognition of the UAE capital on the global golfing scene.

“The strength of this year’s field is truly exceptional, it is a testament to the high regard in which the best players hold the Championship,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager for Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the Championship organiser. “Abu Dhabi is a favourite destination for the European Tour and its considerable importance comes from the stature of the players who compete here. This edition is certain to become a classic in its six-year history.”

Lee Westwood – currently ranked world number one, having taken the mantle from Tiger Woods in October - will be looking to reinforce his position with a strong Abu Dhabi showing, an accolade he has yet to add to his burgeoning silverware cabinet.

However the 37-year-old Englishman is under no illusions about the challenge ahead as he readies to square up to the 2010 winners of golf’s four biggest championships - the US Open, the Masters, the US PGA Championship and the Open Championship.

“It is great to be starting the year as the world’s number one player. Obviously it is going to be a challenge to stay there but it is certainly one of my goals for the season,” said Westwood, who has 20 European Tour victories to his name, including a brace of Order of Merit wins in 2000 and 2009.

“I think the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship will be a very important week for me – especially with Martin [Kaymer] and Phil [Mickelson] and so many great players in the field. I am looking for a fast start to the season.”

Making his Middle East debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, American Phil Mickelson, the world number 4, was the first Major winner of 2010, finishing with a three-stroke lead over Westwood in Augusta to seal his third Masters title last April.

Next, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, the world number 5, became the first European to win the US Open in 40 years when he triumphed at Pebble Beach in June last year. He also became the first Irishman to accomplish the feat and the first player from the UK to win a Major championship since Paul Lawrie won the Open Championship in 1999.

The third Major of the year, the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews in July, welcomed another first-time champion in the form of Louis Oosthuizen. The South African comes to Abu Dhabi in excellent form having taken the season-curtain raising Africa Open in sensational fashion after a three-way play off.

The final Major winner of 2010, Martin Kaymer, the world number 3, is no stranger to Abu Dhabi, having twice won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and is the current holder of the Falcon trophy.

The young German had a phenomenal season in 2010 that saw him take his first ever Major, the PGA Championship, at Whistling Straits after a tense three-hole play-off. He also took part in Europe’s successful Ryder Cup campaign and is hoping to become the first golfer in history to make it a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi accolades next week.

“As we said, this isn’t big, it’s Major. This year we promised to raise the benchmark on competitive top-tier golf and we have delivered. There are very few events world-wide where spectators can get so close to such a diversity of unbelievable golfing talent,” added Al Sheikh.

From the most successful players of 2010 to some of the best career players in golf’s rich history, the Championship field has something to offer fans of all ages and nationalities.

Triumphant European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie will be on hand to showcase a talent that has netted 40 professional wins, and eight European Tour Order of Merit titles.

Rising star Matteo Manassero, the youngest ever European Tour champion and Abu Dhabi golfing ambassador, will also be gracing The National’s greens, as he hopes local support might give him the competitive edge to win in the UAE capital.

Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, who has been playing on the European Tour since 1988, recording 18 tournament wins in this time, is back for 2011 and will be joined by the equally experienced South African, Retief Goosen, who can count two Major titles in his 20 years as a professional.

Rory McIlroy also returns to Abu Dhabi as one of the Tour’s hottest properties. Last year, the 21-year-old came of age with third places in the Open and PGA Championships and played a pivotal role in Europe’s Ryder Cup win.

Also eyeing Abu Dhabi glory will be Italian brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, who captured the attention and admiration of spectators at Celtic Manor when they combined to help Europe take the Ryder Cup. Away from team golf, they have accumulated 13 tournament wins between them.

And Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey each have their own motivation for success in Abu Dhabi. As last year’s runner-up, the flamboyant Poulter pushed Kaymer to the very last shot before conceding defeat to the German on the testing Par-5 18th hole. Casey, meanwhile, will be determined to lift the coveted Falcon Trophy for the third time after victories in 2007 and 2009.

“It was important to us that we were seen to bring something extra to the tournament because our business is all about the strength of partnerships. The fact that we have helped a really strong tournament attract the best field of stars ever could be seen as proof that we have helped the event step up a level,” said Simon Cooper, the CEO of HSBC Middle East and North Africa.

“The quality of field coupled with the additions we are contributing to the overall spectator experience should combine to create a memorable Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship,” he added.

The Championship is expecting to attract its biggest ever spectator turnout from Thursday with ADTA having arranged a substantially expanded Championship Village with more attractions, restaurants, cafes and competitions. The ‘away from the course’ initiative is part of ADTA’s pledge of enriching the lives of visitors and residents alike.

Championship tickets are AED125 for a daily pass and AED400 for a four-day pass. Preferential rates of AED100 and AED300, respectively, apply to EGF members. Children under 18 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult, while HSBC card holders can also get in free by presenting their card on arrival. Car parking is free during the Championship.

Tickets are available via the event’s official website, www.abudhabihsbcgolfchampionship.com, as well as online at www.timeouttickets.com and www.itptickets.com. Phone bookings can be made through the ITP toll-free hotline 800 4669, or for international visitors, +971 4 210 8943. 

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