Having finished tied-third and tied-fourth in his previous two starts of the Desert Swing, the ever-smiling Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello is hoping this is the week that everything clicks for him.

The 29-year-old from Gran Canaria is striving for a second Omega Dubai Desert Classic title, having won in 2012 – his second win, and also his last, on the European Tour.

And if his brilliant performance on Tuesday at the Champions Challenge was any indication, Cabrera- Bello might just be sporting that massive smile again on Sunday evening.

“Yes, of course, everything adds up. I’ve been working on my confidence lately and even before I got here, I’m just playing good and I’m playing a bit better than at the end of last year,” said Cabrera-Bello after his win.

“I’m just managing to score. That’s something I forgot how to do last year. But this year, I’m missing in the right spots and my short game is a bit sharper and putting has improved, so I am making fewer mistakes and I’m making more putts for birdies.”

And the skiing fan said he doesn’t mind the warm temperatures in the Gulf region and added that he would love to make it a hat-trick of Spanish wins in the Desert Swing this year.

Pablo Larrazabal won in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago and Sergio Garcia last week in Qatar.

“Myself or any of the other Spanish players,” said Cabrera-Bello. “We all feel very comfortable here. We are from Spain and obviously there is warm weather over there. We enjoy playing in short sleeves here.

“But everyone likes this one especially, since Seve and Ollie and Miguel and Alvaro and myself have won. It’s a very good atmosphere and we all have good stories going around here, so it’s a lot of positives surroundings us,” the 29-year-old added.

“In the Desert Swing, it’s been unbelievable so far, Pablo winning in Abu Dhabi and Sergio last week and myself and other guys playing good. Hopefully, we can make a real Spanish hat-trick.”