Intriguing entrée

The 2021 edition of ABU DHABI’S ANNUAL EUROPEAN TOUR stop has suddenly been transformed into A WINDOW TO A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE FOR THE GLOBAL GAME

- KENT GRAY

In any normal year, the unexpected return of Rory McIlroy following a discouraging two edition absence would be the storyline of the 16th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. As the European Tour’s pre-eminent showman, a drawcard globally perhaps still second only to Tiger Woods, the 31-year-old Northern Irishman’s decision to make his first regular-season start on the Old World circuit in 16 months is indeed noteworthy.

That the former world No.1 has found snaring the Falcon trophy just as elusive as his attempts to be fitted for a green jacket – he’s a fourtime runner-up in the UAE capital – only adds spice to the plot.

The thing is, this is no ordinary year. It could never be, not after the crazy and transformative year the world has just endured, much less the European Tour and the game globally.

Sure, the return of the Holywood hero to Abu Dhabi Golf Club is much welcomed and a Middle East debut for world No.3 Justin Thomas equally significant. But the marquee signings are only part of story rich narrative.

The shift in management of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship from IMG to the European Tour in 2021 was always going to be intriguing but the plot truly thickened when the European Tour and PGA Tour announced their “strategic alliance” in November.