Justin Rose commits to play in the 2013 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
World number four Justin Rose has committed to participate in next year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, slated to start from January 17, 2013.
The tournament will be staged at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate, featuring some of the prominent names on the European Tour.
Rose, who currently holds the fourth spot in the Official World Golf Rankings, believes that he has what it takes to record a victory in the US$2.7 million tournament.
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is known for featuring a strong line-up each year. This season too, the tournament has reeled in some prominent names, including the likes of the world number one Rory McIlroy and the 14-time major champion Tiger Woods.
Last year, Rose enjoyed a great run of form on the European Tour, having recorded nine top-10 finishes, including a victory at the World Golf Championships – Cadillac Championship.
He also came close to winning his second European Tour title of the season, when Rory McIlroy imposed the defeat on him, at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Entering the final round at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, the 32-year-old was holding the share of the seventh position on the leaderboard.
He then made a strong charge on the leaderboard, by firing a course record 62, to take the clubhouse lead.
McIlroy, in the meantime, did not lose control over his nerves, and posted a 23-under par score, two better than Rose, to claim the fifth European Tour victory of his career.
Despite losing to McIlroy in the final round, Rose was pleased with his performance in the tournament.
Besides his individual performances, he also played a key role in European team’s success against the United States team, at the Ryder Cup.
In total, he secured three points in five matches that he played in the Ryder Cup. The highlight of his performance included a 1UP victory against the four-time major champion Phil Mickelson, in a Sunday Singles match.
The 2007 European Tour Order of Merit winner is now relishing the opportunity to start his 2013 European Tour campaign with his debut in the tournament.
“Starting the year in Abu Dhabi has always been very appealing to me and I’m keen to begin next season at a tournament that is attracting the world’s best players year in, year out,” he said.
He added, “I’ve had a good year and I’m really looking forward to the possibilities that a new one will bring,” he added. “I’ve played some of the best golf of my career this year and a good start in Abu Dhabi is an exciting opportunity to prolong the success
– it will hopefully get me in the right track to go on and potentially do some great things through next season”.
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