The event was launched in 2006 and has been held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club ever since ABU DHABI: Yas Links is set to host the 17th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the first time ever from Jan. 20-23, 2022. The European Tour has confirmed that the opening tournament of the 2022 Race to Dubai season will get underway with a Rolex Series event at the course, which is owned by Aldar and managed by Troon. The event was launched in 2006, and has been held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club ever since. “I am very proud of our team who have been hard at work over the past two years to successfully deliver a series of extensive on-course improvements at Yas Links Abu Dhabi,” Mark Chapleski, president of Troon International, said in a statement. “As the first true links style course in the Middle East, its current playability is second to none, and this is recognised globally thanks to its top 50 ranking on Golf Digest’s Top 100 courses in the world, “ he added. “The course’s signature finishing holes on 16, 17 and 18 are regarded as one of the toughest trios in the UAE with the mangroves looming down the left of all three, and it will be fascinating to see how the pros approach them in January next year.” News of Yas Links Abu Dhabi’s addition to the European Tour schedule from 2022 onward follows confirmation from the UAE authorities that people traveling to the emirate no longer need to show a negative COVID-19 test result to cross the border into the capital from Dubai. With the authorities confirming that the COVID-19 infection rate in the emirate was just 0.2 percent of all recorded tests in September 2021, and with cases continuing to fall in October, Abu Dhabi is expecting visitor numbers to increase significantly. Yas Links Abu Dhabi will offer first-class hospitality and entertainment activities for fans beyond the golf course itself, which was designed by Kyle Phillips and recently voted No. 1 in the region. “The build up to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is always very exciting, but 2022 will be even more special with a brand-new venue for us to sink our teeth into,” Yas Links Abu Dhabi Golf Course Manager Corey Finn said in a statement. “Many of the European and PGA Tour players will kick-start their competitive year in Abu Dhabi hoping to tame our notoriously tricky coastal course,” he added. “Working closely with the European Tour creates a special environment and this will be no different in terms of working with a new team at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, as we are all working towards the same goal; making the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship even bigger and better than what’s come before.” Tyrell Hatton will need to produce another dominant performance at Yas Links Abu Dhabi if he is going to secure back-to-back titles. In January 2021, the Englishman claimed the title after going toe-to-toe with four-time Major winner and Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy throughout the week, eventually finishing four shots clear of a strong field to kick-start his year.