Event 7 of the 2024 Challenge Tour season …….
We dive into the mind of Joshua Grenville-Wood and his daily battle with ADHD, along with the decision to take up UAE citizenship.
Al Ain Equestrian shows off it’s amazing state of the art facilities & Garrick Porteous takes home first place, his 2nd Challenge Tour victory!!
[Music] this is one of sports great Proving Grounds a gateway to Glory brilliant 30 tournaments spanning 19 countries along the way a chance to expand Horizons and Sample wild fo 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 it’s been a busy start to the season for the class of 2024 with stops in South Africa and India up next backto back weeks in the United Arab Emirates starting with the Abu Dhabi challenge [Music] golf is booming in the region thanks to the weather ease of travel and an abundance of worldclass facilities it’s a place many and now choosing to call home let’s go originally from the UK I was born in in London and then you know a bit all over after that to be fair we spent sort of 5 years in the UK then 5 years in the US then five in the UK then another five in the US so obviously uh spent about a lot of time growing up sort of all over the place really and uh obviously now the last few years I’ve been out in Dubai and that’s where I call home now for quite some time dad’s also Pro so uh obviously comes with part of it doesn’t it you’re moving around all over the place it was great you know I look back on it and I loved every minute of it pretty much soon as I could walk when I was two he take me down to the driving range and just let me hit balls all day while he would work and teach so yeah he definitely is the Big Driver behind it when I first came out to Dubai in 2015 I came uh to visit a family member and came for a week and absolutely fell in love with the place you know and 4 months later I turned Pro and ever since then I was just like I just want to live here I just want to make it home know the last year and a half now obviously working with the EGF the Federation and and a lot of the locals around golf here is it’s been fantastic and almost lifechanging for me in a way giving me these opportunities to play on DP world and and Challenge tooy and get my name out there and and show people that I can can play golf clouds burning off sun is shining you know what that means it’s going to be human I played a couple of events over the summer last year on challenge tour um you know obviously the main ones with these two events last year that I played in which sort of kickstarted my career back in Europe I can’t thank them enough for giving me that opportunity to showcase my talent on challenge tour and then sort of move forward and PL through with that me and my dad we always talk about just need that opportunity that one opportunity to just get everything kick started and you know I knew I had that one chance there and then so just didn’t want to let it go just wanted to do what I could well take that opportunity he certainly did Joshua finished tied second that week catapulting him up the rankings and getting more of those all important invites he did all of this flying the flag of the UAE to have these people come and say that we really like what you’re doing we like who you are and we want you to represent us you know it was a very big boost for my confidence to know that they wanted me to do that and not someone else so many people on the course already so it’s been fantastic I think since I’ve changed nationality I’ve not really look back and no I don’t think I will obviously today with the weather we’ve had this week it’ll be just nine holes today I played nine on Monday I’d probably play more if I didn’t know the golf course so well I’ve been here a few times so I can just get a feel for the condition how soft the greens are and Fairways as we all know golf is as much a mental game as a physical one 183 into the puff Josh doesn’t only do battle with the of course but with his ADHD as well something like that it’s been a long Battle of 20 years now I guess I got diagnosed when I was five and I think it was pretty clear that I had it before I got diagnosed so uh it’s been long and extremely tough at times it’s so spinny off this Turf it’s so pure oh love it at the same time I’ve also got uh autism and dyslexia so that’s a little trifactor of problems sometimes uphill into grain and it still rolls out got a h of me got to hit it every day is always learning something new about how I can cope with certain things and deal with certain [Music] things one of the hardest things always used to be you know coming down the stretch you know you close to Leading or you are leading it’s so difficult when your mind is running it 5,000 m an hour and you don’t know how to control yourself and it’s one of the things I’ve worked so so hard on the last sort of 2 3 years is that mindset of how to deal with myself you know it’s more of an ongoing battle with my head than it is the golf course as we know golf’s very mental so to have even more going on in my head is quite tough 20 ft for Birdie on this hole won’t complain too much with the course in mind let’s take a closer look at the track this week Alain equestrian first opened in 2007 as a nine-hole course since then it’s expanded into an 18-hole par 70 Championship layout playing just over 62,000 yd long and with water hazards on 12 of the 18 holes it was certainly going to prove a challenge for the 15 56 golfers assembled in the desert so how would Josh fa in these challenging conditions time to find [Music] [Applause] [Music] out good afternoon and welcome welcome to Al golf club for the first round of the 2024 Abu Dhabi challenge this is game number 47 representing the UAE Joshua Grenville [Music] wood in fact it was a very slow start for Joshua teeing off at the 10th with four straight pars and then a bogey far from ideal [Music] a bounce back birdie at his seventh hole saw him out in level path but a change of pace required for his back [Music] knife well the change of momentum is exactly what he got it was time for liftoff firing off birdie after birdie after [Music] birdie five in a row and then a final gain on the last met Joshua signed for a first round 64 at six under par he was nicely placed just one off the [Music] lead pleased with how I hung in there cuz it was quite a slow start the first 12 holes just felt like couldn’t quite get it you know I was missing just a little bit and then uh just kind of made the put in three and then just kind of kept going from there which was nice you know uh just I’m just really happy with how hunging well hang in there he did a fine back nine keeping him well in the mix and so today two Joshua raring to go and ready for the [Applause] [Music] off but things didn’t exactly go according to plan kicking off his second round with three bogis in his opening four holes and the tide had well and truly turned something needed to happen fast his ship was taking on a lot of water two quick birdies on six and seven calmed the storm out in one over but whilst our local hero was finding his Groove again another was winning the battle Wilco Nara had a second round to remember in the desert desert he bagged 10 birdies and had this on 18 for a 59 while that thrilling story was unfolding Josh was making two more birdies of his own on the back line and carded a second round of 69 seven on the par for the tournament heading into the weekend he was left in a tie for 30th six off the pace set by Nara and [Music] Christensen I think how I fought back was pretty good you know uh stayed in there pretty well after a rough start I knew that there was going to be some birdes out there I didn’t know when there’d be but I knew I was going to have plenty of opportunities for that you can take it as a lesson you know I still somehow shot one underp par and I’ve felt like I’ve shot five over you know so uh there’s a lot you can learn from days like today and and move on forward still to come on the challenge tour we’ll take a closer look at our host venue this week our facilities are world class we’ve been working towards this week for a long time and will’ll Crown a champion in the first event of the UAE swing we’ll see you after the break welcome back to the latest Chann chapter in the 2024 challenge tour story and the seventh event of the season the Abu Dhabi challenge where Wilco nber and Nikolai Christensen were sharing top spot after tearing it up in the first two days and so to moving day with kit Alexander garri Porteus 34 years of age now already a winner on the challenge tour but not coming way back in 2017 made the ideal start this beautiful approach just inches from going in for Eagle at the first but he would tap in for an opening birdie willo Nara the South African such huge potential so close to Breaking onto the DP World Tour in recent years as well he was also controlling his approach play beautifully this one into the second we know all about his power he demonstrated his finesse on the greens rolling this one in for a birdie at the second and that gave him a two- shot lead early in the third round 31y old Dame Nikolai Christensen bogy too but Bird’s at 47 and this one at eight got him to 15 under [Music] par DK Porteus hasn’t had a top 20 on any main tour since the 2022 Portugal Masters on the DP World Tour and it’s hard to believe with Sublime approach play like this another one going close dancing around the hole and he would tap that in for a third birdie of the day n ARA no stranger to Eagle puts on PA fives he had this for a three shot lead at the 10th always a little low with a simple taping birdie gets him a two- shot lead Christenson on the same hole having a bit more [Music] trouble but no pitches on the scorecard he chips it in and matches nara’s birdie four he within one of the South African wasn’t the day that Josh Grenville would representing the UAE would have been hoping for this birdie effort on 18 rather summed it up he would tap in for par and it was level P 70 and tied 49th after three rounds five-time DP World Tour winner Alex Levy he was out in 31 Strokes picked up another shot at 12 and here at 14 to move alongside NE Arbor at 17 under par pus added more birdies at 12 and 13 this dropped it was four birdies in a row and it was now a three-way tie at the [Music] top well the Becca was in contention as well he made one of his five birdies here at the 14th a steady 66 keeps him in the mix he finished the day in a tie for [Music] fourth 24y Old South African n aror had this for the outright lead birdie p on [Music] 18 never had a chance unfortunately and he finished with eight straight pars to head into Sunday in a threeway share of top spot with Levy and pus yes it was turning into a terrific tussle a fascinating finale in store taking a closer look at the leaderboard 3 days in then England and Denmark among the Nations well represented a trio of contenders were locked together on 17 under at the top now as we’ve already seen this week Al equestrian has an amazing Golf Course but that’s not all this place has to [Music] offer we’re a multiports club we have shooting rugby Cricket equestrian uh horse racing track as well as obviously this fantastic golf course it’s out of the mainstream of Dubai and Abu Dhabi it’s a bit quieter certainly from a golf perspective the players that we have coming through here in the winter enjoy that side because they can really focus Fus on the practice obviously going into our other sports into shooting and rugby and Cricket that we’re we’re slightly quieter in the mainstream places in Dubai and Abu Dhabi but our facilities are world class we host trainings for many national teams in the shooting range as well as the rugby when the 7es on and things like that so I mean all around we have offer a better value for money in a world- class facility we’ve been working towards this week for a long time it gives us a chance to Showcase this facility we rate it as one of the best certainly practice facilities in the Middle East and I think the golf course will stand up to the test this week and we’re looking forward to getting feedback from everybody including uh DP world and and hopefully we can keep growing for years to come yes with its fabulous facilities laain is a great place to visit for all sorts of sports not least of course the golf so back now to the action and our final day we’re at the business end so over to Kit one last time to Crown our champion in the desert you and Walker sprung out of the blocks with four straight birdies he opted for poter from long of the ninth green and it was the correct Choice six birdies in an opening half of just 29 shots and he was making a serious move Nikolai Christensen starting a bit close closer to the leaders but equally hoping to make a move early on in the final round this lovely approach set up a birdie at one he would ultimately have to settle for solo third portius had a bit more left for his Birdie on the first but the man who is 100th in the early rad to meorc standing still found the bottom of the cup Levy also bird the first and the third and he rolled this one in confidently for his third red number in the first four holes and a two-shot lead portius continued his magnificent approach play here at six he left himself another very very short birdie p and that got him back to within one of the [Music] leader same hole and Levy hits the pin with a birdie chip so just a par for the man who had a couple of top sevens in the last two events in India upil had two bird he’s too bog he’s in the first five [Music] holes a great second shot here at the par 57th the Irishman forced his name into the conversation with This brilliant Eagle to get to minus 18 he would go on to finish ultimately in a tie for fourth at minus 20 Alex Levy completed a superb front nine of just 30 Strokes with this fine birdie conversion and he was leading by two heading into the back nine Scotland’s Walker closed out the week with a birdie on 18 for a sensational 10 underpar round of 60 that catapulted him all the way to 20 [Music] underpar porus birdie 10 and got alongside Levy at the summit with another move in the right direction here at 14 the Frenchman had birdied 11 and bogied the [Music] 12th all tied at the top but another dropped shot for Levy at the 15th opened the door for Porteus and he surged through with a birdie two at the same hole a twoos shot lead with three to play for the Englishman Levy wasn’t going down without a fight though he bounced straight back with a birdie at 16 and hold this 10-footer for another one at the 72nd hole and a minus 23 [Applause] [Music] total it had been a brilliant battle between the pair and porus delivered the final blow with this birdie at 18 for a wonderful bogey free round of 63 and a one shot win his second challenge to Victory sending him rocketing into the top 10 on the road to mayorca yes’s confirmation of those final standings on a multinational leader board and back in the challenge tour winner circle after a 7year wait a very happy 34 year-old from England gar pus feels amazing I’ve loved every minute of it it’s been you know a great host venue and helping all and uh obviously moved here recently so to win on I guess home soil now it’s great so seven events in we can see Garrick Porteus has risen 93 places on those rankings he and the rest chasing our new number one Rasmus neard Peterson Nikolai Christensen has jumped 17 places into 14th England’s Jack senior now in that pivotal 20th spot and with that our first first week in the United Arab Emirates has come to an end but we’re far from finished with this part of the world we head next to sadad Beach Golf Club for the UAE challenge so join us next time as the pursuit of promotion to the D World Tour continues [Music]
