As much as any player in recent times, Sergio Garcia just hates being second best, so expect a big performance from him when the Desert Swing gets underway in Abu Dhabi today in the Race to Dubai. After rising to No 2 in the world rankings, Garcia will have set his sights firmly on top spot - even if he isn't saying as much - and if anyone has the ability to overhaul Tiger Woods, it's the great Garcia.
The Spaniard is one of the most natural golfers around, and the key to his hopes of taking over Tiger's mantle as the best player in the world is in his hands. If he can recapture the putting magic he had when he first came on to the scene, there is virtually no limit to what he can achieve. He has got more shots in his bag anyone else, even Tiger. You see this best when he plays a links course, where you have to be a lot more creative to put a good score together and need courage, as well as skill, to go for your shots.
Sergio has plenty of courage and a massive amount of skill, and he is at last showing signs that he could complete the transition from best tee-to-green player in the world to becoming the world No 1. That has seemed unlikely in recent years and few people have appreciated just how good he is because he has putted so poorly for much of the time. Over the last year his putting has started to get back to what it was. It is still only average, but it shows how good he is from tee to green if he can climb to No 2 in the world and become the first European for 71 years to record the lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour.
When Garcia arrived on the European Tour he had a good, natural putting stroke, releasing the putter head to give the ball a good roll. But gradually he lost that his feel on the greens. It was as though he was trying to control the putter head, keep the blade square and take his hands out of the equation altogether. Last year he started releasing the putter head more and there was a big improvement in results.
The stroke does not look completely natural yet, but as he starts to get more of a feel for it he will start to putt better. Otherwise, he is already the complete package as a golfer, a wonderful stroke maker with great imagination and touch around the greens, plenty of nerve and the charisma to match, making him the top attraction at Abu Dhabi Golf Club this week. Like the rest of the players, Sergio loves the Desert Swing because of the high quality of courses, the tournament organisation and facilities, and the hospitality they find in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha.
No player feels more at home in the UAE than Henrik Stenson, who has a base in Dubai and has shown himself to be something of a desert master, with wins in the Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters, as well as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. The world No 8 is one of the favourites to come through to take the title in Abu Dhabi, especially after the way be played at the end of the year, winning the World Cup with Robert Karlsson and then destroying the field in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City
It's impossible to ignore Padraig Harrington, who has moved to the next level and gained tremendous confidence following his two major wins last year. Week in, week out, even if he's not at his best, he seems to be able to produce the scores he needs to get in contention. The defending champion in Abu Dhabi, Martin Kaymer, may lack consistency at present, but he is one of the young generation of Tour players who we can expect to see in the frame on a regular basis in the future.
He will have so many good memories of from last year and they could inspire him to produce his best golf, in which case he will be a very serious challenger. The same is the case with Rory McIlroy, who has climbed rapidly to No 39 in the world rankings, has huge amount of talent, and is obviously playing with a lot of confidence. He has done tremendously well since turning professional just over 15 months ago and might have won two or three times by now if he'd have been a little more careful with his shot selection on occasions. But he is still only 19 and is learning all the time, and once he gets the balance right he is going to be a world beater.
Two other young players who have caught the eye will also be aiming to make their mark in Abu Dhabi. Chris Wood, who finished fifth in last year's Open Championship as an amateur, has great potential and could draw inspiration from the way McIlroy has taken the Tour by storm. If you are looking for a complete outsider to overshadow the established stars in Abu Dhabi, New Zealander Danny Lee has all the right credentials.
He won both the US Amateur and Western Amateur titles last year and is an incredible golfer. If he feels comfortable in the presence of such a strong selection of top players, he could cause a surprise. It would be no surprise if two other players from the southern hemisphere, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley, were high up on the leaderboard come Sunday. Allenby is one of the best players in the world from tee to green, and if he has a good putting week he could come close.
Baddeley, meanwhile, is one of the best putters in the game, and if he finds the green to his liking in Abu Dhabi he can put in a strong challenge. Tournament victories have been few and far between in the last few years for eight-times leading European money winner, Colin Montgomerie. But I still believe Monty can turn back the clock and add to his haul of 41 tournament wins worldwide, although it all depends on his frame of mind.
Paul Casey won in Abu Dhabi two years ago and he if he's firing on all cylinders this week, he could be hard to beat, although I'd love to see Garcia, Harrington and Stenson fighting it out on Sunday in a classic showdown between three of the world's top players. Abu Dhabi, and the Desert Swing, deserve it. @Email:pparkin@thenational.ae.
