Amid blustery conditions on his home turf, a near-perfect, four-under par round of 68 earned Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s Teaching Professional Ernie Rellon (pictured) a place in the third annual, European PGA Tour-sanctioned, Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, which runs from January 17 to 20 next year.
With 25 UAE PGA-registered professionals intent on claiming the solitary berth, Rellon’s immaculate round guaranteed him the opportunity to compete for the Falcon Trophy.
“I’m so thrilled and excited, I’ve been dreaming of this since the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship first started in 2006,” said Rellon.
“I had a really solid round until my drive on the 17th — it’s a 265-yard drive to clear the water, and with the head-long wind, I ended up in the drink and eventually holed out for a double bogey. However, I held some good putts, some distance putts too, and I managed to score six birdies.”
With the winner earning the chance to potentially tee-off in a championship field which includes defending champion Paul Casey; current world No 6 Adam Scott; No 7 Padraig Harrington; Ryder Cup winners, Colin Montgomerie and Henrik Stenson; as well as England’s Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, competition was fierce.
Rellon said the competition was likely to be more challenging when the $2 million (Dhs 7.3m) championship — an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority — hits the UAE capital.
“The field is shaping up and I’d love to be drawn with Scott or Casey – that would be unbelievable,” he added. “Whoever I’m paired with, I’ll just concentrate on playing some good, steady golf in the first two rounds to make sure I last the whole weekend — every pro’s goal is to still be in with a chance after the cut.”
Tickets for the Championship remain at 2007 prices of Dhs 125 for a daily pass and Dhs 400 for a four-day pass, although preferential rates of Dhs 100 and Dhs 300 respectively apply to UGA members. Children under 18 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Car parking is free.
The event has attracted a high profile sponsorship line-up including: Etihad Airways and Aldar as Diamond Sponsors; Etisalat, Standard Chartered Bank and Emirates Palace as Platinum Sponsors; Nissan, Airbus, Rolls Royce, Omega and Xerox as Gold Sponsors, Gulf News as Official Newspaper, Radio 2 as Official Radio Station, Middle East Golfer as Official Magazine, AME Info as Official Media Partner and Cutter & Buck as official merchandise.
