Wednesday 17 January 2018 17:01, UK
Justin Rose is keen to build on the momentum from his superb finish to 2017 as he returns to action in a stellar field at this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Rose took the Race to Dubai to the wire with back-to-back victories in Shanghai and Turkey towards the end of last season, and he looked poised to be crowned European No 1 until late errors on the final day of the DP World Tour Championship saw him finish second overall to Tommy Fleetwood.
The Olympic champion then cruised to his third win in less than two months at the Indonesian Masters, and Rose is now refreshed after a winter break and looking forward to taking on the likes of Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and defending champion Fleetwood in Abu Dhabi.
"I think this is such a great place to start the season," said Rose, who had not played since earning a tie for fifth at the Hero World Challenge last month. "We all know things start right after The Race to Dubai in Hong Kong, but mentally I think there's a little bit of a switch off around Christmas and the New Year.
"Everyone wants to let the brain go soft for a few weeks and then you sort of gear back up and this is just such a great place to start.
"The golf course here in Abu Dhabi is always in great shape. I think in the beginning part of the year, you kind of want to play in places where you know you're going to have good weather, good course conditions and obviously against a strong field.
"For me it's a great place to start things off, to get the momentum going again, and we all know what's ahead, lots of big tournaments, and then major season, and then also for me, a little bit different this year hosting the British Masters, as well. There are lots of things to look forward to this year."
World No 1 Johnson has enjoyed a week off since his dominant win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and he is hoping to go one better than last year in Abu Dhabi after finishing just a shot behind Fleetwood in his first appearance in the event.
"I definitely got off to a really good start," said the American. "I played very well the first week and I had a week off and now I'm here in Abu Dhabi, which is a place where I enjoyed coming last year.
"So I was excited to come back and looking forward to this week. I felt like the golf course, it's in good shape and the game's in pretty good form, too.
"This golf course suits me pretty well and I like the set-up. Last year was the first time being here, obviously playing four rounds in the tournament definitely helps. This year, I know the course a little bit better, so we'll see. Hopefully I can play as well as I did in Hawaii."
