Event 8 of the 2024 Challenge Tour season …….
What happens straight after you win a Challenge Tour event?….. Well we followed the Abu Dhabi Challenge Champion Garrick Porteous to find out!
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club shows off it’s amazing connection with nature through being more sustainable ….. AND Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen wins for the 2nd time this season!
this is one of sports great Proving Grounds the gateway to Glory brilli 29 tournaments spanning 19 countries along the way a chance to expand Horizons and Sample life onour how beautiful is that magic finish the season in the top 20 on the road to mayorca rankings and secure a golden ticket to the DP World Tour this is the challenge tour for many a win on The Challenge tour is the stepping stone to Greatness a catalyst propelling players upward to the de World Tour a proven pathway that stood the test of time you don’t have to look far to find those that have walked the fairways of the challenge tour the likes of Tom Fleetwood Mato manisero and Ryan Fox to name just a few tasting success on tour can be lifechanging who better to turn to them to gain insight into that special feeling that the latest player to taste victory Garrick porus and heart seat literally this beautiful approach just inches from going in for Eagle at the First with Sublime approach play like this another one going close dancing around the hole and hay has delivered the final glow his second challenge tour Victory sending him rocketing into the top 10 on the road to mayorca Garrick pois is a 34 year- old recently moved from Newcastle to Dubai uh with my wife last summer loves golf loves uh traveling going to gigs just you know just a happy go sort of Merry guy who just yeah loves life how did that last feel well I kind of knew I just needed my birdie and I would have won so it’s was kind of like well just get it up somewhere near the green socky there cheers thank you cheers soy mate it was almost like an out of Body Experience trying to haul that two footer you know I’ve got everyone watching a few friends there and then uh just yeah just every from there was kind of a blur everything went super fast the check for $48,000 in this wonderful championship trophy from England Garrick podius thank [Applause] you thank you well done congratulations thank you yeah I’ll just put this down sure I hope everyone has a safe trip home and I look forward to seeing most of you guys next week in Sadat so thank you I guess it’s a buildup of like seven years you know I’ve got Shane on the B who’s we’ve worked together since the start of the year so it’s just like it was as much happy for myself as him and just everyone friends family there wife was watching it’s just like uh it’s just a happy you know experience that everyone can enjoy yeah thank you thanks guys I thought you just [Music] thanks thank you very much thank you again yeah well done thanks wait enjoy it have a nice few days yeah [Music] done pH morning welcome to beautiful Abu Dhabi well a great win it was last week for Garrick but that’s not his first taste of Victory he comes from a rich pedigree and has played with some of the golfing greats of this era I’ve played sp’s golf for England with Garrick um back when we were amateurs and I think um it’s fantastic to see you know so much hard work that goes into the game on the challenge tour I think it’s just so nice to see that hard work pay off and give you that opportunity to to look upwards and be optimistic about the year ahead and and you look at the guys out here that would congratulate him the week after and everybody’s everybody’s so great about it and it’s always nice to see players that you’ve known for a long time doing [Music] well my first win was back in 2017 in Prague Prague is one of my favorite cities in Europe so I love going back there one with all the memories but then obviously with the culture and the food and everything it’s great even though it was a long time ago reflecting on those experiences and then you know coming over the line this time which is [Music] great just want to keep this run going I mean feel like I’m swinging it great so as long as I give myself lots of opportunities to make birdies then I don’t see why not yeah I’m looking forward to the [Music] challenge well there’s no rest for the wicked or indeed winners in this case as we go again and for our second event out in the desert the UAE challenge here in Sadat and Oasis in the sand this Gary Player design par 72 championship course stretch of 7,800 y a true test for even the longest of hitters on [Music] tour situated on the northwest coast of Sadat Island the venue also provides a safe and thriving Wildlife San for over 160 bird species and more than 250 Mountain gazel as well as a Rejuvenation of native plants as for the gulf well just how hard is it to win backto back we’re about to find out gck forz in fact it wasn’t quite the start our latest champion would have wanted bogy on the second as he struggled to find the red numbers eventually a birdie on the ninth kept him level through nine whilst our mainman tried to find his winning form another out on the course was getting help from another even more proven winner amateur Oscar Craig had his stepdad Tommy Fleetwood on the bag a seven time winner on the DP World Tour he was certainly earning his stripes during the week helping Oscar do an opening round of three under par stuff mate very impressive thanks nice work it just so happened that Garrick would follow in the young amus footsteps bird is at 4 15 and 16 meant he too finished on three under tied 13th after day one so as Garrick geared up for his second round he knew that more of the same on Friday would see him comfortably make the cut and he got off to the best possible start solid birdes on his first two holes set him up nicely and the spite set back at his third with another gain at 15 he was out in 34 two under and plain [Music] sailing another on the crest of a wave was our am Oscar Craig a superb up and down on his last Paving the way for a second round round 73 helping him make his first cut in a pro event stepdad and caddy Tommy Fleetwood absolutely delighted a great achievement enjoyed by the whole family all of our kids they play on the amateur Series in the UAE and Oscar won one of the major men’s amateur events um in in rack uh just down the road which got him an invite into this week so you know he he earned his way in really and um I I wanted to get ahead of everybody in terms of asking I wanted to be the caddy this week and I I I just wanted to be out here with him and Oscar this week said when he made the cut it was more than he could have ever dreamed of and I just think that’s one of the most beautiful things you could ever hear um and uh he’s he’s done great but however good of a time he’s had I’ve had a better one I think k frosa back to our main man Porteus and his back nine was starting to show some cracks a drop shot at four and then two more at the 7th and things were starting to turn a little sour the true Pro that he is though Garrick dug deep one final Birdie on the last resulted in a second round level par 72 though fully eight shots behind our halfway leader J jhua Buri first day was a bit of a struggle to start with but build some momentum on the back nine and and then today was kind of the opposite kind of started well and then kind of just followed a bit coming in don’t know whether it was just a lack of energy but uh yeah just uh looking forward to the weekend after the break we take a closer look at this week’s post venue I think shadat is one of the leaders in the region if not beyond for sustainability and environmental awareness and we cap our Arabian fortnite by crowning another worthy challenge tour winner we’ll see you shortly welcome back to our coverage of the challenge tour and the stunning Sadat Beach Golf Club two rounds in Joshua Barry led the way two clear of HH Brown and Wilco narber with the likes of Alex Levy and Rasmus neard Peterson lurking Within 10 just behind so let’s see what happened over the weekend starting with moving day overseen by Dom holia Colin mcken the 22-year-old Australian looking to get off to a far start this his second to the opening Par Four that was a beautyin you be delighted to make it through to the weekend arrived here on the back of six straight Miss cuts on both the challenge tour and and the Deep B World Tour so a birdie part up the first for the man from junop Country Club in the northern districts of Perth that was pure in fact he would birdy the first three holes and go on to shoot a round of 69 to Li at 9ine under through three rounds on the same score as the Kolkata challenge winner Rasmus near guard Peterson from Denmark this a birdie part for him at the third the par three he’s been holding a few of those recently played nicely in the Abu Dhabi challenge last week as well South Africa’s Wilco neaba drove it into the Fairway bunker at the par 4 eth must have got a good strike on this one because watch dancing around the hole what a shot he would pop that one in Birdie the 9th as well to go to the turn in three underpar putting some pressure on the overnight leader the English teenager Joshua Barry who had an eagle putt at the ninth [Music] briefly took him back into the lead unfortunately Joshua had a horrid finish dropping five shots in the last four holes to slip back paven sagu another Englishman how about this one well controlled a cross over down and around and in for an eagle three at the power five 15th missed the Cup last week safely through here he shot a round of 66 to David Horsey also at the 15th the birdie part nicely rolled in by horsey a former challenge tour number one and four-time winner on the DP World Tour Wilco Nara had a birdie part at the 17th witchy hole to move to 13 underpar at that stage opening up a thre shot lead over the rest unfortunately for Wilco problems at the 18th and he left himself with a rather slippery downhill putt for a bogey five at the last well old that was clutch wasn’t it from Nar but a double would have been awful there he was tied for the lead last week through 54 holes at alen he has the lead on his own this week at Sadat so after three rounds in the desert things are hotting up nicely it’s the big hitting South African Wilco Nara who was once again causing ripples leading horsey sagu and Rush by two there was a five strong Bunch hovering a further shot back with heish brown also among those In [Music] Contention now it’s clear for all to see that sadad Beach Golf Club is a special place a wonderful test with a Twist Run by fire golf Sadat is Paving the way for environmentally friendly golf B is an extension of Dubai golf which I think everyone’s familiar with with jir golf States Creek Emirates so here we managed three golf courses so Yas links Yas Aces Golf and crunchy club and here’s shadat ultimately we’re responsible for managing all three independently and trying to work together as three as a cluster to obviously maximize our experience our commercial performance and the quality of asset that we we have the sustainability environment here is is is essential to everything we do we have 194 different species of birds here that’s local and migratory birds as well obviously we have the gazel roaming around naturally which is just add something a little bit more special to Sadat historically we’ve changed from potable water to tsse water we’ve changed the grass type as well which is uses less water uses less pesticide herbicide insecticide etc etc so every decision is all about sustainability of the environment I think Sadat is one of the leaders in the region if not beyond for sustainability and you know environmental awareness Sadat Beach Golf Club an oasis in the desert when Nature and golf work seamlessly together back to business now then and to the final round to determine who would take home the silverware on week two of our UAE swing guiding us through the finale it’s back to Dawn finland’s tapio penan looking to get off to a fast start started the final round three shots off the lead beautifully controlled into the opening Par Four for the man who topped the challenge Tour rankings back in 2017 was promoted of course to the uh DP World Tour but back now on the challenge tour so it was a lovely approach shot it wasn’t a bad part either an opening birdie for panan on his way to a final round 71 and a share of sixth place was a top 10 finish for Switzerland’s Benjamin Rush displaying a very deaf touch there at the second he would make birdie and close out with a round of 73 what a week it has been for Oscar Craig the 17year rolled with stepdad Tommy Fleetwood on the bag this week and making birdie there at the 18th a lovely way to sign off and some great memories for those too Conor pel the Irishman out of position at 11 well making a quite a tough shot having to pitch it over the mound looked relatively simple and he would go ahead and birdie that huh one of the more unusual Spectators one of the gazel here at sardia [Music] rasma sard Peterson the road toor leader also at the par five nth and also very nicely handled he is the man in [Music] form makes the birdie moving to 11 underpar now playing in the final group with Pavan sagu and Wilco Nara David Horsey with a birdie P at B1 that took David to 13 underpar and and a share of the lead with Nara Nar Peterson and Joel moscatel neaba at the 11th an eagle punt for the third round leader what a time to pounce neaba to 15 underpar hunting a second career challenge tour title could horsey respond this was the birdie putt for the Englishman a man who last won on the DP World Tour in Denmark back in 2015 so it’s been nearly a decade but that moved him to 14 underpar within one of Nara Conor purcel at the car 515 from downtown miles away two parts will be fine [Music] but go on in go on in go on in yeah woo indeed what a part from pcel Denmark’s haish Brown whose dad is Scottish and the head pro at Arbor Golf Club in the north of Denmark that was a birdie for haish on the way to his best ever challenge tour finish inside the top five Rasmus near guard Peterson also at the 14th he had found the Fairway from the [Music] te pinpoint accuracy from neard Peterson so the birdie part to get to 13 under that was significant he would also birdie 17 to go to 14 under par and narba dropped shots at 15 and 16 so it was all getting quite tight at the top by the time nard Peterson reached the 18 he was tied for the lead with Nara he had this for a closing par and a round of 67 and Rasmus near guard Peterson sets the clubhouse Target there at 14 under par leaba problems for him down the 18th like yesterday and this for a closing par and to force a playoff with Mard Peterson not to be for the Big South African his wait for a second challenge tour title continues meanwhile the news filters through to near guard Peterson that he has won for the second time in three starts on the challenge tour confirmation of the final standings then Conor pcel made it backto back top 10s in the desert as did Wilco Nara narrowly missing out on the silverware again and England’s David Horsey in the frame too but for the second time this season taking his place in the Winner’s Circle was Denmark’s Rasmus nard Peterson [Applause] feel incredible you know obviously I knew I had a chance going into today but you know I’m being able to put together a great round and then and get done in the end is it feels [Music] amazing so eight events in already and the road to mayorca rankings are taking shape after his electrifying start at the season Rasmus near guard Peterson is steaming away at the top the rest trying to hang on to his coattails David Horsey working his way through the field and up to n after another good showing Wilco nar’s upwardly mobile 2 up 36 places and Conor purel was also a climber up nine whilst that key 20th spot is occupied by JC Richie for [Music] now and so our two we stay in the UAE comes to an end we’ve crowned two great Champions and seen a shift in the rankings next All Eyes turned to Europe the journey to the DP World Tour is only just beginning
