Rory McIlroy has ended a three-month competiton break ready to roar and declaring himself fully fit ahead of embarking on one of the busiest starts to his new season.

He tees-up this week in the ASbu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the first event of his 11th season in the pro ranks looking to quickly make ammends for a winless and injury-riddled 2017 .

And McIlroy could ask for no sterner test than to be grouped for the opening two rounds in the company of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and European No. 1 and defending champion, Tommy Fleetwood.

McIlroy has starred at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on nine occasions in his glittering career and boasts an impressive record of seven top five finishes but he has yet to hold the Falcon Trophy aloft.

“I’m excited to be back at a golf tournament. It’s been a while. The last few months have been really nice just to concentrate on a few things I needed to take care of in terms of getting myself fit and healthy to come back and sharpen up a few things in my game.” Said McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy appropriately with a falcon resting on his arm in front of the iconic ‘Falcon’ clubhouse at the Abu Dhabi GC.

“Obviously this is the first real test of getting back and seeing how I am. So I’m looking forward to just getting out there and seeing how I perform when I need to. It’s a place I’ve done well before and obviously a golf course I know well, so it’s a comfortable place to come back and make a fresh start of the year.”

Without a win in 2017 McIlroy will look to kick start his season with a win during the desert swing where he has enjoyed so many great days.

“I’d love to win again. I don’t think there’s any better feeling than winning a golf tournament. But I don’t feel like it’s that far away.

“I’ve practised and I’ve played, not competitively in a proper tournament, but I’ve shot some really good scores over the past few weeks. It’s different doing that to being out here on Thursday and really having a card in your hand. But from everything that I’ve seen in practise and playing over the past few weeks, there’s no reason to think that it’s not that far away.”