Event of the Day: Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Day 1

Our event of the day is the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. This is the 13th edition of the European Tour golf tournament that will see the world’s best golfers competing for the title over the course of the next four days. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood defends the trophy he won last year with an unforgettable one-shot victory, his first in three seasons. This triumph was a springboard for more success that resulted with Fleetwood winning the Race to Dubai at the end of the 2017 season. Now he aims to become the first player with back-to-back titles in Abu Dhabi, since German Martin Kaymer, who did this in 2010 and 2011. 

Kaymer also holds the record for most wins in the tournament – three, having won his first in 2008. His 2011 triumph came with a record score of 264 which was 24 below par. He will be among the favourites in the United Arab Emirates this week. It is worth keeping an eye on current world number one and 2016 U.S. Open champion, Dustin Johnson. The American was a runner-up last year in Abu Dhabi and arrives in great form, having recorded his 17th US PGA Tour win 10 days ago. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, winner of four Majors, is fully fit after coming back from the injury he suffered in October, and is motivated to finally clinch the title following four runner-up finishes in previous editions. We can expect a highly entertaining four days of golf at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

 

Honourable mentions around the globe go to Day 4 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. In the men’s singles second round, Swiss Roger Federer continues to defend the title against German Jan-Lennard Struff, while winner of a record six Open Era titles in Melbourne, Serbian Novak Đjokovic, faces Gaël Mofils of France. In the Big Bash League, the Sydney Sixers are up against the Brisbane Heat at the SCG in Sydney. It’s the first day of the CareerBuilder Challenge in California. It’s Day 5 of the 2018 Snooker Masters at Alexandra Palace in London. In the NBA, the Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden in Boston, while the Houston Rockets clash with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Toyota Center in Houston. There’s plenty of action in the NHL – the Tampa Bay Lightning face off with the Vegas Golden Knights at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, whilst the New Jersey Devils come up against the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Center in Newark. In Copa del Rey first leg quarter-final action, CD Leganés host Real Madrid at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque in Leganés.

 

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

 

Fixture

 

Photos by AD Golf Champs; Brian Keogh