In times of stress, it is always good to have someone to lean on. If they happen to be an ex-Open champion, a Ryder Cup hero, and one of the most popular players on tour, all the better.
Josh Hill endured a subdued end to an otherwise sparkling fortnight with a troubled final round at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic.
The Dubai-born and -raised teenager signed for a 6-over par 78 to finish the tournament on 3-over, giving him a share of 55th place.
His round started in ignominious fashion, with a shanked tee-shot into the trees with his first shot of the day. He double-bogeyed, before closing his front-nine with five bogeys in succession.
It was at that point Shane Lowry, his celebrated playing partner, took him aside and imparted some words of wisdom.
“After a really bad front nine, he put his arm around me and said, ‘It is a tough game, just keep fighting’,” Hill said.
“That was nice. Then on 18, he said, ‘See you in a few years’. It was great playing with him, and even Romain [Langasque, the third player in their group] was great support out there, so it was a really fun day.”
Hill’s final-day troubles did not diminish his achievements over the past two weeks. Two cuts made in consecutive Rolex Series events is a remarkable effort for a 17-year-old amateur player whose career remains embryonic.
Neither did it diminish the spirit of his brigade of supporters, all of whom were wearing the red of his scratch team at his club, Trump International Dubai.
“It was probably one of the worst rounds of golf I’ve played in a while but I still had fun out there playing with Shane, an Open champ, and all these guys supporting me,” Hill said.
“Even though it was a bad day, it was nice to have all that support. For them to come out here and spend five hours watching me rather than the likes of Rory [McIlroy] and [Collin] Morikawa is unbelievable.”
