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The boys are back in town

Post by: Reece Lightning

// January 14th, 2009 // News

Never before have I anticipated a season of golf as much as this, there’s a bunch of reasons for golf tragics world wide to grab the TV remote, claim a pozzie on the couch and not move all year. The return of Tiger Woods, the form of the Europeans, the wide open majors, the promising amateurs and electric young pros, the glitter of the reinvented modern European Tour, the inaugural Race to Dubai and a pile of cash so big if burnt it would create a global warming on Neptune.

Sergio’s win last November at the HSBC Champions which has given him a head start in the Race to Dubai last feels like months ago, well two to be exact. For me this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the first of three consecutive tournaments in the Persian Gulf is the first real event of the 2009 season. No longer is it just the new entrants scrapping in the bike sheds for superiority on the European Tour, the big boys are back from holiday and are ready to throw their weight around to reclaim their patch. Leading the bunch of bullies out to fight are the likes of Harrington, Stenson, Immelman, Garcia, Kaymer, Casey, Montgomerie, Campbell, Hansen, Wilson, Allenby, and McIlroy just to name a few. The field also includes many other big up and comers and previous winners on tour, all keen to get their name up in lights and chip away at the Spaniard’s Race to Dubai lead.

It’s that time of year when we all start bantering around who we think will win the majors. Everyone has their favourites and nostalgic votes they always throw in the mix, and to be honest this season you can make a strong case for many of the swelling cream of the crop to snatch one. But before you start locking in your bets, just sit back and see how your picks fare this weekend after returning from the festive season break. With 245,122 euros on offer for the winner, this weekend could offer some insights to which of the big boys are really focused for 2009 or maybe who really needs to clear their Christmas credit card debt the most.