“Personally, I think that the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is truly one of the best tournaments on the European Tour calendar.”
become World Number One. All these experiences have taught me important lessons about myself and my game, such as when to be aggressive, to stick to my natural game, and to approach any shot with absolute conviction. The fact that I went through a bit of a dip in form and managed to come back from it in 2014, was also very pleasing for me and shows how I have grown both on and off the course. What is the secret behind your successful career as a golfer? There are so many factors behind building a successful career in golf and sometimes these are out of your hands but one of the obvious keys to success is to work hard and enjoy the game. What makes Abu Dhabi and this particular tournament special? It is always great to win and I have some very special memories from playing here over the past few years of my career. The event is always well run and year-
on-year has a world class field which helps to make the tournament so competitive. Personally, I think that the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is truly one of the best tournaments on the European Tour calendar and I am proud that I have been able to lift the Falcon trophy on three occasions. HSBC are a great supporter of European Tour golf and really help to improve the event every year so I hope I can put in a good performance in 2015 for the 10th anniversary to thank them for their support! Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? I wouldn’t like to set specific targets. I know I can still improve and I will work hard so that I do. If you were to really press me for specific targets, I would like to win more majors, play in more Ryder Cups and climb up to the top of the rankings again, but those are targets, not expectations. GO: The 2015 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship takes place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 15 to 18. Visit www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com for more information. fact magazine
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