(out due to Covid-19)

Every stop on the European Tour since it returned this summer has been a welcome one, but for some the best players on the circuit few may prove as significant as the Golf in Dubai Championship. Taking place on the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, it provides an ideal means of preparation for next week's DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course, and those who have opted to take part in both may reap the rewards come the conclusion of this unique Race to Dubai.

That there are not more high-profile players in this week's field can be explained by the difference in respective purses, which means that this will not determine who ends the year as the circuit's leading player. Still, there is huge money at stake even for those who won't be challenging Patrick Reed as he seeks to add the season-long prize to his list of achievements for which he already has earned lifelong membership.

That's why those around the bubble (uses word apprehensively) have added incentive and we also need to consider the Official World Golf Rankings. With just weeks to go on the European Tour and one on the PGA Tour, the likes of Matt Wallace and Rickie Fowler have much to play for. Should they remain as they are at 51st and 49th, Fowler would be in the field for the Masters next April. Should they swap positions, then it's Wallace who will receive his invite over Christmas.

Such factors are difficult to measure but look at Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who climbed from 61st to 41st with victory at Leopard Creek last week, and Sergio Garcia, who was about to fall outside the top 50 for the first time in more than 20 years before he won at the Sanderson Farms. Towards the end of the year, when tanks are beginning to empty, having something to play for beyond the week-to-week prizes can be vital.

Wallace then is interesting, not least because he's been playing well for a while now and has been second over on the Earth Course. Also second in the Dubai Desert Classic and presumably back with Dave McNeilly, who had reportedly tested positive for coronavirus without suffering any of its worst effects, the Englishman helps form a strong front portion of the betting.

Robert MacIntyre, Bernd Wiesberger, Martin Kaymer, Aaron Rai, Andy Sullivan and Thomas Detry also look to be at or close to their best (well, perhaps not quite Kaymer given that his best is leagues above the others), but the pick of the market leaders is THOMAS PIETERS and he gets the headline vote.

On the face of it, Pieters' form is the most flimsy of this group and yet it's not difficult to forgive a poor display at Wentworth, nor being caught on the wrong side of the draw in Scotland. Prior to that fortnight he'd been 23rd in the US Open and his only other two starts since lockdown came in Wales, where he was third and 15th at Celtic Manor.

The first of those performances is particularly notable, because Pieters has often produced his best golf after a break - and he'd been out of action for more than five months, during which period he became a parent. Last summer's back-to-form win in Prague came after a month away, but it's his record in Abu Dhabi, where he's had a genuine chance to win on four of his last six visits, which really appeals.