Saadiyat Beach Golf Club will play host to a plethora of former DP World Tour winners, the next generation of stars and homegrown talent from the UAE when the UAE Challenge gets underway tomorrow.
The tournament is the second of back-to-back Challenge Tour events in Abu Dhabi, with last week’s Abu Dhabi Challenge marking the first time Europe’s development circuit has been staged in the UAE in five years.
One man to keep an eye on at the Gary Player-designed track will be Dubai resident Joshua Grenville-Wood, who finished in a tie for second place last week after receiving an invitation into the event from the Emirates Golf Federation.
The Englishman, who moved to the UAE in 2019,will be hoping to use home advantage for the second successive week with temperatures set to soar again along the coast of the Arabian Gulf.
“It’s a bit mind blowing how well I played last week as I was away from competitive golf for four months,” said Grenville-Wood, who is coached by Joe Marshall at The Els Club.
“To come straight back into it and play some solid golf was really nice.
“The first two rounds felt quite normal last week, but the final two rounds I was playing against guys at the highest level, who have been at that level for a long time. It definitely did not feel like a Challenge Tour event at the weekend, that’s for sure!
“It felt like I was in the presence of some really good guys which made me play better. Hopefully I can use that as a catalyst to take my game to the next level.”
The UAE’s No.1 golfer Ahmad Skaik, who will also play for a second successive week, is looking to continue his development by testing his game against the likes of 2011 DP World Tour Championship winner Alvaro Quiros, last week’s runner-up Tom Lewis and Matteo Manassero, who remains the youngest winner in DP World Tour history with victory in the 2010 Castello Masters at 17 years and 188 days.
“It’s long as we’re playing off the tips, I think it’s playing close to 7700 yards,” said Skaik on the challenge of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.
“It’s also going to be windy on Thursday, so I’ve got to be patient and trust my abilities. Trust that I can hit good shots from long distances and take advantage of the par fives and short par fours if they are any!
“I need to stay patient, not try and force anything and just hit one shot at a time out there.”
Joining the Emirati in the field will be last week’s champion Ricardo Gouveia, Road to Mallorca leader Ugo Coussaud, as well as South African duo Wilco Nienaber and Brandon Stone, who won a Rolex Series title at the Genesis Scottish Open in 2018.
The back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi have been made possible due to the long-term partnership between the European Tour group and the Emirates Golf Federation, in addition to the support of the host venues Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, along with sponsors ARENA, Phoenix Capital and Al Laith.
