5 Ready reckoner

Sergio Garcia (ESP)

Age — 38 Race rank — 17 The 2017 Masters champion was looking at a fairly anonymous season before three points in the Ryder Cup to help Europe to victory. He went on to defend his title at the Andalucia Masters last month. The veteran would be a popular winner in Dubai.

Lee Westwood (ENG)

Age — 45 Race rank — 16 The Englishman has got his mojo back after winning last weekend’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. He believes he can take the momentum into this weekend. It would be quite a story if the 2009 DPWTC winner could make it back-to-back trophies this week.

Shubhankar Sharma (IND)

Age — 22 Race rank — 26 The Indian came from relative obscurity to win the Joburg Open in December last year and followed it up with victory in the Maybank Championship in February. He finished seventh at the Indian Open in March to prove his success was no fluke, but he will be eager to get his hands on a trophy after a quiet few months.

Ian Poulter (ENG)

Age — 42 Race ran — 35 The Englishman ended a drought of six years when he won the Houston Open in April, and delivered again in his favourite event — the Ryder Cup — in Paris and he is still riding that wave of popularity and confidence coming into the DPWTC.

Jon Rahm (ESP)

Age — 24 Race rank — 13 We couldn’t miss out on the big-hitting Spaniard, given that he is the defending champion. He burst on to the scene at the 2016 US Open as an amateur. He has since notched five big wins including the Irish Open, Spanish Open and, of course, last year’s DPWTC. Victory at Jumeriah would make him the third two-time winner after Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy.

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