McIlroy, Woods, Rose looking to open season with win at Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

Rory Mcllroy from northern Ireland speaks during a press conference two days ahead of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Salazar) (The Associated Press)

Tiger Woods of the United States talks to the press two days ahead of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Salazar) (The Associated Press)

After the buzz of his multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal and a fight over the European Ryder Cup captain, Rory McIlroy is looking forward to actually playing some golf again.

The world's top-ranked golfer leads a star-studded field at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship that also includes Tiger Woods, No. 5 Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer.

McIlroy signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike this week and then led the charge to support Paul McGinley in his successful campaign to become Europe's Ryder Cup captain for 2014.

The two-time major winner said he is looking forward to getting his year off to a strong start Thursday at the National Course, where he has never won.