Abu Dhabi: The 13th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA, taking place on Jan.18-21, has been further boosted following the news that household names Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Thomas Bjorn will all be returning to the Championship fray in 2018.

These European golfing heavyweights join the headlining pack of 2017 European Tour prize money winner and defending Champion, Tommy Fleetwood, World Number One, Dustin Johnson, four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy and 2016 Open Champion and Olympic Silver Medallist, Henrik Stenson. Furthermore, American Ryder Cup star and Olympic Bronze Medallist, Matt Kuchar, and two-time championship winner Paul Casey also join the field.

With even more outstanding players to be announced, the roster for Abu Dhabi in 2018 underlines the championship’s reputation for delivering a world-class field year on year. Over the four-day championship, 126 players will compete for a total prize purse of $3,000,000 – an increase of $300,000 from previous years.

Despite a quiet 2017, the well-decorated Graeme McDowell is raring to get things going in 2018, recently announcing that he has put together a five-year plan to revive his game.

Ian Poulter, one of golf’s most colourful characters and a self-professed petrol head, is certainly revved up for a fast start in 2018. Having almost lost his PGA Tour card earlier in the year, he dramatically turned his fortunes around finishing with a top-60 finish in the 2017 FedEx Cup.

Despite having over 20 years’ experience on the links and being Denmark’s most successful golfer, Thomas Bjorn’s upcoming season will undoubtedly be the most important of his career. ‘The Great Dane’, who has recently been named the 2018 Ryder Cup Captain, boasts over 20 European Tour wins and is a regular competitor at the championship.