Abu Dhabi Doo!

The Abu Dhabi Championship may only be five years old, but already it has all the hallmarks of a classic. Today, Martin Kaymer claimed the trophy for the second time in three years as he overcame Ian Poulter by a single shot.

In 2008, Kaymer saw a six-shot lead disintegrate before managing to hang on to his maiden Tour title. Having finished runner-up last year, this year was different once again - leading by a stroke with 18 holes to go, neither Kaymer nor Poulter dropped shots in their rounds of 66, and it took a birdie on the last for the German to ensure victory.

Martin Kaymer is only 25, but already he looks supremely assured on the course - he shot 67-67-67-66 this week to win his 5th European Tour title, and seems at ease playing with the best. This win moves him up to a career-high world number 6, and the way he looked this week it's obvious that the best is yet to come. He has a wonderful swing, and his putting was key this week. He's shown bottle in all of his wins, including two playoff victories, and Colin Montgomerie will already be licking his chops at the Ryder Cup pairings he can plan for the young German.

When Ian Poulter is on from, he's on form. Give him a scent of the lead and he'll go after it like a terrier. We've seen him hold his nerve before - at the Open Championship in 2008, and the Ryder Cup later that year - this week's play suggests he's heading for a good year. He won in Singapore in November to bring an end to a 3-year winless streak - he might never go that long without a victory again. His runner-up spot this week has lifted him into the world's top 10 for the first time, and they'd better get used to him. He'll be disappointed that he couldn't put his approach to the 18th today a little closer to give himself an easier put for the playoff, but he knows his game is back, and there's no one more confident in his own ability.

Rory McIlroy left himself just too much to do in the end - an early bogey caused him to slip off the pace of the leaders, and while he picked up 4 shots on the back nine, he needed an eagle on the last to force a playoff. Once his drive found the thick rough off the right-hand fairway, his race was practically run. He's started the year well once again, however, and he'll be looking forward to defending his title in Dubai in a fortnight.

One more player who deserves a mention is Shane Lowry - the young Irishman failed to make ground yesterday with a 71, and a 67 today could only leave him in 4th place. Not bad however, for a man who was an amateur this time last year. Lowry has faced a lot of criticism since his Irish Open win, but let's face it - the move from amateur to professional is not easy, and it was always going to take him some time to find his form. He's started the year well, and if you remember his win in Baltray you'll remember his guts - he didn't have an easy time of it that rainy Sunday - he lost his lead and regained it, before eventually prevailing in a playoff. There's plenty more of Lowry to come in 2010.

The Tour stays in the Gulf for the next two weeks, and we head to Qatar on Thursday, where Alvaro Quiros, one of the most exciting talents on the Tour along with Kaymer and McIlroy, is defending. Join me again this week to have a look at what he faces.

Off To The Desert

And so, the European Tour bids farewell to South Africa this week and heads over to the Gulf, where it will take in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai.

One man will be disappointed to leave - Charl Schwartzel registered back-to-back wins in his homeland to give him the perfect start to the 2010 Race to Dubai. In the last edition of this blog Schwartzel was mentioned as a player who's always threatened to become a prolific winner but hasn't quite got it going. It looks like he does now. He may not have faced the strongest field in the world in Joburg last week, but nobody would have beaten him, as he raced away from the field to take a second title. Still only 25 years old, Schwartzel looks set to take on the world as the year continues. He leapt to 35th in the world after his victories and will aim to make gains in the majors and WGCs this year. He has a beautiful long game, and when he gets the putter hot, it's tough to stop him.

It was wonderful to see a resurgence from Darren Clarke in Joburg last week as well. Clarke played solid golf all week to tie for second place with local boy Keith Horne. We all know how good Darren is when he's at his best, and hopefully he can keep this form going this week. He's identified his primary goal for the year as the Ryder Cup in Wales, and he's got off to a good start. Competition is huge this year though, and he knows it - in 2008 he won twice on Tour and still failed to qualify. Always a favourite with the fans for his exciting runs of form, it would be nice to see a bit of consistency from the Ryder Cup hero. Let's be honest - we all want to see him teeing it up alongside Lee Westwood in Celtic Manor on 1st October.

This week, however, there's plenty to look forward to. Some of the biggest names in golf have decided to start their year in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, including Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, and 2009 Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood. Defending champion Paul Casey is also joined by Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who won the SBS Championship in the States to kick off his 2010. It's a first appearance in Abu Dhabi for the relaxed Aussie, but that doesn't matter - he'll just smile and make some birdies.

Casey had quite the year last year - he produced the best golf I've ever seen him play to win this event, including phenomenal putting, before he won again at Wentworth and on the PGA Tour. Having risen to World Number 3, he then suffered a rib injury to miss some time later on, and he never recovered his early form. No one can doubt that he's now a major player though, and if he putts like he did last year, he'll win.

Westwood, McIlroy and Kaymer are all going to make noise this year. No majors between them yet - check in 5 years time and they might have 10. Westwood has moved to another level of golf, beyond that he reached in 2000, despite his No. 4 rank at the time. He's more mature, more focussed, and has one of the best games in the world. He's going to win at least 3 or 4 this year, and don't be surprised if one of them's at Augusta.

McIlroy and Kaymer are two incredible talents - both future No. 1s, and in my mind definites for Celtic Manor, they too should grab a few victories this season, and they're close to majors. They're both calm, confident, and have an awesome game. If you want to know the leaders of European golf in 2020, there's my prediction (and who'll remember if I'm wrong?). They might let Ross Fisher in as well.

As for a couple of lower-profile picks, watch Louis Oosthuizen (2nd last year), Danny Willett (plenty to come from him this year) and Soren Kjeldsen (don't rule him out of a Ryder Cup berth).

The Gulf swing never fails to disappoint, and in a Ryder Cup year, every European wants to get off the marks early. Expect some low rounds - there're birdies to be had.