Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship finds new home at Yas Links

2022 Rolex Series event, to run January 20-23, has traditionally been hosted at Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Tyrrell Hatton of England celebrates with the trophy following victory at the 2021 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Getty

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will be staged at Yas Links Abu Dhabi for the first time next year, moving from its traditional base at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The European Tour’s opening Rolex Series event, which runs January 20-23, has taken place at the National Course since its inception in 2006. However, on Monday, Europe's lead circuit, alongside Abu Dhabi Sports Council, confirmed the switch to Yas Island.

In a statement, Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour, said: “As one of our Rolex Series events, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Yas Links offer our players and fans an experience like no other. Yas Island is synonymous with major sporting events in the United Arab Emirates and we are delighted our first Rolex Series tournament of the year will be highlighted on the global stage.”

Aref Al Awani, Abu Dhabi Sports Council general secretary, said: “We are proud of all our sports facilities that host various events and support our plans for further success. By moving this award-winning tournament to Yas Links for the first time, we will add more excellence to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and present an exceptional event, especially as it is being held at one of the world’s finest and most magnificent golf courses, and on one of the world’s leading leisure and entertainment destinations, Yas Island.

“We are looking forward to another fantastic championship to kick off an exciting year of sport in the UAE.”

Designed by Kyle Phillips, Yas Links was recently ranked 48th in Golf Digest's Top 100 courses worldwide, with its closing stretch – 16, 17, 18 – particularly celebrated. Monday’s release detailed that the Aldar Properties-owned course has undergone a series of extensive improvements, “ensuring the current course conditions are now perfect for the world’s best golfers”.

January’s tournament represents the first of back-to back Rolex Series events – with three of the five on the 2022 calendar to be played in the UAE. England's Tyrrell Hatton is the defending Abu Dhabi champion.