Dubai-born teenager Josh Hill says he cannot wait to test his talent at next month’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa.
Hill, 17, will compete in the January 20-23 tournament after triumphing on Thursday at the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Hill, who won the same tournament in 2019, makes his second appearance at the DP World Tour event having competed also last year, where he posted rounds of 74 and 76. Aged 16 at the time, he was the youngest player to participate in the tournament.
Now in its 17th year, next month’s Rolex Series event takes place for the first time at Yas Links. Four-time major winner McIlroy and current Race to Dubai champion Morikawa have already been confirmed.
“I am excited to have won the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship against such a strong field,” said Hill in a statement in reference to his one-shot victory at Saadiyat last week. “To receive an invite for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is a great opportunity for me to test my game against some of the best players in the world, including the likes of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa plus so many more exceptional players.”
Hill, who carded a final-round 72 to finish 9-under par, added: “2021 has been a tough year for everyone with another disrupted year with Covid, but hopefully next month’s Rolex Series event will help me kick-start my 2022 season. It is a very important year for me. Thank you to Abu Dhabi Sports Council for arranging the invitation.”
Well known within UAE golf, Hill rose to prominence on the Mena Tour in 2019, when he captured the Al Ain Open to become the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event. He was aged 15 at the time. Hill has since competed also in the Dubai Desert Classic, last year posting successive rounds of 77 to miss the cut.
In an accompanying statement on Monday, Aref Al Awani, general secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “Congratulations to Josh Hill on your well-earned victory. We look forward to welcoming him to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January for the second time. He’ll join some of the world’s best golfers at the stunning new venue, Yas Links. We wish Josh the best of luck.”
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the traditional curtain-raiser for the DP World Tour's Desert Swing, carries an $8 million purse. Last week, organisers announced that for the first time general admission would be free to spectators.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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