This article is part of our DraftKings Euro Tour series.
Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Course: Abu Dhabi GC
Yardage: 7,583
Par: 72
Tournament Preview
Many of the world's top golfers will be teeing it up this week in Abu Dhabi. This is a tournament that has consistently attracted the biggest names in golf, and that will be no different this week as all of world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and the returning Rory McIlroy will be in the field. The tournament will once again be contested at Abu Dhabi GC, a course which has treated the long hitters well but comes with plenty of bunkers and water hazards, as well as wind. Greens in Regulation figures to be key this week, as it has been a leading stat of previous winners.
Key Stats to Winning at Abu Dhabi GC
Greens in Regulation
Driving Distance
Past Champions
2017 - Tommy Fleetwood
2016 - Rickie Fowler
2015 - Gary Stal
2014 - Pablo Larrazabal
2013 - Jamie Donaldson
DraftKings Picks (with odds)
Dustin Johnson, $11,800 - (5/1)
The world's top ranked golfer enters this tournament fresh off a win in Hawaii. He finished runner-up at Abu Dhabi GC last year, and as by far the highest ranked player in the field, he is the clear favorite. DJ is a safe way to start lineups if you don't mind chalk.
Branden Grace, $9,700 - (20/1)
Grace finished solo second last week in South Africa, and he has the game to succeed here: he hit almost 70 percent of GIR on Tour last year and bettered that stat last week. Grace has performed well at Abu Dhabi GC in the past, posting a T13 last year and T5 the year prior. Expect his quality play to continue.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, $7,600 - (33/1)
In the middle tier I see great value in Fitzpatrick, who at only $7,600 is hard to pass up. His price has taken a dip, which could be the result of two missed cuts and a T26 at Abu Dhabi GC. Fitzpatrick ended 2017 in superb fashion, tallying 9 straight top 20s, including a win at the Omega European Masters.
Renato Paratore, $6,900 - (125/1)
You will have to dig deep if you choose to roster one of the studs at the top, and Paratore appears to be a safe option in the bottom tier. He doesn't have the best history at Abu Dhabi GC, but he at least enters this week in brilliant form: his T7 last week in South Africa was a good way to start 2018. He is one of the longest drivers on Tour, and was also plenty accurate last week. The young Italian has much to be encouraged by as he looks to carry over his fast start to this week.
