Morikawa "Challenging World No.1 Ranking in Abu Dhabi"... What Are the Possible Scenarios?

DP World Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Victory Declaration, Hatton 'Title Defense', McIlroy 'Rematch'

World No. 2 Collin Morikawa challenges for the No. 1 spot at the DP World Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] World No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA) is aiming for the 'Number 1' spot.

On the 20th (Korean time), the DP World Tour (European Tour) Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (total prize money $8 million) kicks off at Yas Links in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Par 72, 7,425 yards). The 'scenario' is "Morikawa wins + Jon Rahm finishes tied for 7th or worse at the American Express." Rahm will compete in the PGA Tour American Express held at PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, California (Par 72, 7,113 yards) during the same period.

Morikawa currently has 8.79 points, trailing Rahm (9.61 points) by 0.82 points. It is interesting that he showed promise at last December's PGA Tour premium event, the Hero World Challenge. After starting the final day with a commanding 5-stroke lead, he mysteriously fell into a '4-over-par rollercoaster play' and was overtaken by Viktor Hovland (Norway). At the first tournament of 2022, the Sentry Tournament, the points gap widened further with "Rahm 2nd, Morikawa tied 5th."

Morikawa's rise to No. 1 is drawing even more spotlight because it would happen before the age of 25. Since the world rankings were introduced in 1986, only three players?Tiger Woods (USA), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), and Jordan Spieth (USA)?have achieved this. Morikawa, born on February 6, 1997, has his 25th birthday approaching soon. He said, "I was disappointed for a few days right after the Hero World Challenge," but added, "Now, I use it as motivation," showing his fighting spirit.

It is important to note that Morikawa was last year's DP World Tour points leader, the first American to do so. He swept three wins: the February World Golf Championships (WGC) Workday Championship co-hosted with the PGA Tour, the July major The Open, and the November 2021 season finale DP World Tour Championship. Before the tournament, he became a lifetime honorary member of the European Tour, marking a double celebration along with a '3 million dollar (35.8 billion won) jackpot.'

Of course, the path to victory is not easy. Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton (England) is aiming to defend his title, and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is seeking revenge after finishing 3rd last year. Former champions who have been particularly strong in Abu Dhabi, including two-time consecutive winner Tommy Fleetwood (England, 2017-2018), Shane Lowry (Ireland, 2019), and Lee Westwood (England, 2020), have also joined the field. Morikawa will start the first round at 4:55 PM on the 20th alongside Hovland and Fleetwood.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.