Hole 1 Par 4, 405 yards, 370 metres
Jeev Milkha Singh (India)
‘I normally use a driver here. Depending on the wind, my alignment for that hole is to try and keep the ball to the right of the left bunker. If there’s no wind I can get it into the left bunker, but normally my line is right edge of that bunker. It’s normally a sand wedge or wedge to the green. I’m thinking birdie every time I tee it up here.’
Hole 2 Par 5, 600 yards, 548 metres
Pablo Martin (Spain)
‘If you’re a long hitter you’ve got a chance on this hole because the wind tends to be helping on most of the days. With a really good drive you might have a chance to get it on in two. It’s a really good birdie opportunity.’
Hole 3 Par 4, 439 yards, 392 metres
Miguel Ángel Jiménez (Spain)
‘It’s a big elevated tee and a long hole. Medium hitters like me need to aim at the right side of the fairway bunkers. Even the big hitters can’t fly those bunkers; it’s 330 yards to get over them, so it’s almost on the limit.’
View HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi
View Rory McIlroy: I want to win HSBC Golf in Abu Dhabi
View Justin Rose on HSBC Golf in Abu Dhabi
Hole 4 Par 3, 174 yards, 159 metres
Ross McGowan (England)
‘This is a very tricky par three. It’s got two shelves – front and back – most of the time the pin is up at the back. The bunkers are deep, very deep. It’s one of those holes where you’re happy to hit the middle of the green and give the putter a chance, but you’re also happy to walk off with a three.’
Hole 5 Par 4, 469 yards, 428 metres
Louis Oosthuizen (South African)
‘From the tee, you’re trying to avoid the rough on the left because it’s really thick, but even a slight push with the driver means you’re going in the bunker on the right which is not the worst place to be. It’s quite a long green. If you’re playing into the wind you normally go into there with a four, five or six iron. Down wind is a bit different. To me, the green always feels a bit quicker than the rest.’
Hole 6 Par 4, 469 yards, 428 metres
Noh Seung-Yul (Korea Republic)
‘It’s difficult this one; it’s so long. The bunkers aren’t that difficult, the big thing here is hitting the fairway off the tee.’
Hole 7 Par 3, 200 yards, 182 metres
Søren Kjeldsen (Denmark)
‘You would think a four-iron par three is a tough hole. It is, but the thing is the green sits a little bit into you, so if you hit a really solid shot it will stop dead because it is into a slope. Even though it’s a four iron, you feel you have an opportunity for a birdie.’
Hole 8 Par 5, 597 yards, 546 metres
Padraig Harrington (Republic Of Ireland)
‘This is an awkward hole! Hit a good drive and you’re in an A1 position; anything less and this hole becomes tough and turns into a real genuine five hole.’
Hole 9 Par 4, 456 yards, 417 metres
Lee Westwood (England)
‘The ninth is a good hole. If they put the pin back-right it makes the hole a lot longer and a lot harder. That’s not the biggest challenge of the hole; the biggest challenge is hitting the fairway.’
Hole 10 Par 5, 582 yards, 532 metres
Francesco Molinari (Italy)
‘It is a par five so obviously it’s a birdie chance and you want to make a birdie on this hole. With the new tee it’s reachable only for the really long hitters. It’s a really long hole now so if you miss with the first shot or with the lay-up you’re going to be in trouble.’
Hole 11 Par 4, 417 yards, 381 metres
Alvaro Quiros (Spain)
‘It’s a really difficult fairway to catch because it becomes so narrow with the new cut of the rough. At the same time you have to hit a really good driver to go over the left trap.’
Hole 12 Par 3, 186 yards, 170 metres
Paul Casey (England)
‘The easy way to play this is to hole it from the tee like I did in the third round in 2011 [earning him a free stay at the Emirates Palace for life!]. That day the pin was front-left, 174 yards, seven iron and no wind. It’s a very easy way of playing it! It’s a very timid looking hole, but it actually produces its fair share of bogeys as well as birdies.’
Hole 13 Par 4, 414 yards, 378 metres
Edoardo Molinari (Italy)
‘The 13th is probably a birdie chance on this course. You have to place your driver on the fairway because the green sits on a funny angle and you need to be on the fairway to play your second shot.’
Hole 14 Par 4, 490 yards 448 metres
David Howell (England)
‘A birdie here is very welcome; par is alright! I’d happily take a par every day here!’
Hole 15 Par 3, 177 yards, 162, metres
Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain)
‘A very nice par three. There are two bunkers guarding the proper front of the green on the left and right and normally they put the pins very tight near them. Pretty much, if you’re in the middle of the green it’s a birdie chance. Not that tough a par three.’
Hole 16 Par 4, 475 yards 434 metres
Anthony Kang (USA)
‘The premium is on accuracy of the tee shot. It’s a long hole, a difficult hole and not a hole that’s going to yield a lot of birdies.’
Hole 17 Par 4, 483 yards, 441 metres
Joost Luiten (Holland)
‘The mistake to avoid is…don’t miss the fairway! Go for the middle of the green. Don’t be too aggressive on this hole because a par is good.’
Hole 18 Par 5, 567 yards, 518 metres
Martin Kaymer (Germany)
‘When I won here in 2008 I finished with a birdie. 2009, when I was chasing Paul Casey, I finished with an eagle. 2010 was a birdie and last year was a birdie. I’ve no reason not to like this hole!’
