English teen wonderkid Josh Hill is playing the weekend of a Rolex Series for the second consecutive week on the DP World Tour after rounds of 70 and 74 to sit at even par through 36 holes. The 17-year-old, who became the youngest ever winner of an Official World Golf Ranking-sanctioned event in 2019 at the age of 15, sits in 49th position thanks to eight birdies over the first two days at Emirates GC.
Hill, born and raised in Dubai, placed T58th in Abu Dhabi last week where he posted a score of three-over-par to finish two clear of World No.2 Collin Morikawa. His stand-out third round in Abu Dhabi contained six birdies and an eagle and he still shot three-under-par despite two late double bogeys.
“I get asked a lot about turning professional, but there’s no rush, especially with some great offers to go to the States on the table," Hill said after Abu Dhabi. "I’ll talk it over with my family and decide what comes next, but for now I just want to enjoy the opportunities I’ve been given.
17-year-old Hill has been mixing it with (and beating) some of the world's best these past two weeks
“I qualified for the Abu Dhabi Championship by winning the Abu Dhabi Amateur, and I’ve also got invites to play the Dubai Desert Classic, and the Saudi Arabia Invitational. And having made the cut once, I want more of the same. This was huge for my confidence, and in terms of showing that my game is good enough to compete at this level. It really was a case of moving up to another level.
“The thing I was really pleased with was that I didn’t just ease off and pat myself on the back after earning the right to play the final 36 holes. I made six birdies and an eagle to shoot 69 in the third round straight after finishing off the second round, and if I hadn’t made a couple of double bogeys by being over-aggressive it would have been even better.
"It was disappointing to finish with a 75, especially as I bogeyed three of the last four this time. But it was still a great week, and even though I was aiming for better than a share of 58th I still managed to finish a couple of shots in front of Collin Morikawa. That’s not bad, is it?”
The amateur sensation, born and raised in Dubai, won the Al Ain Open on the Mena Tour aged 15 years 8 months, two months younger than Ryo Ishikawa when he won on the Japan Tour in 2007. Hill also defeated then-World No.1 Brooks Koepka over nine holes prior to the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
