The inaugural 54-hole ProDreamUSA UAE Open, aligned with future golf scholarships for golfers to attend US Universities, held at The Els Club, Dubai, sees Louis Klein from the Czech Republic shoot a first round four under par 68 to lead by three shots.
Klein, 15 years old, has been a regular visitor to Dubai and the UAE, had a remarkable up and down round of seven birdies, plus two sixes after he bogeyed two of the par 5’s.
What a round!
On completing his round, Klein told Worldwide Golf: “There was a really strong blustery wind out there today. I played some really solid golf and made just two mistakes in the whole round – which both proved costly. I hit so many greens in regulation and missed numerous birdie putts throughout the day of less than 12 feet. The par fives are my scoring holes and ‘bread and butter’ – so the round could have been even better – but there are no complaints overall from my side.’
Magnificent Seven
‘To make seven birdies in one round and to miss so many putts is quite scary. My best score from these Blue Tees we played today is a seven under 65 – but considering the wind and so much more – today was one of my best rounds ever at The Els Club, Dubai,’ concluded Klein.
385 Yard Bomb on 18
One of the highlights of Klein’s round, in his opinion, was a drive of 385 yards on the par five finishing hole, the 18th, perhaps, ‘the longest ever in my life,’ leaving just a 165 yard pitching wedge to make a routine birdie four to complete his round.
Klein, has a long-time love affair with The Els Club, having won The Els Club Men’s Open in 2022 as a 12 year-old where he shot a 36-hole total of level par.
Home Hero Larsson In The Mix
In second place, three shots back of the leader, is home player Viktor Larsson (The Els Club, Dubai), with a one under 71.
Victor Larsson was victorious in the recent Tommy Fleetwood International Pathway Series presented by DP World in October last year, at Jumeirah Golf Estates, over the Earth course. Victor is also the current leader of the 2024-25 EGF Junior Order of Merit for Boys.
Second Round
The second-round tomorrow (Friday) sees leader Klein and Oscar Craig (+2, 74, TFA, JGE) tee off at 9.32 am along with Rayan Ahmed (EGF, UAE) who shot a 75 opening round.
Cut line
There will be a 36-hole cut after tomorrow’s second round, to the top 20 players and ties, with it currently being projected at seven over par, but that is expected to slip significantly higher score against par during the second day.
The field consisted of 36 players when the first round teed off, with 11 players flying in from overseas specifically to play in this tournament only
First Round Leading Scores (Par 72).
- Klein (Czech Republic) 68.
- Larsson (The Els Club, Dubai) 71.
- Craig (TFA, Jumeirah Golf Estates) 74.
- Butteriss (Eng) 74.
- Larsson (The Els Club, Dubai) 74.
- Larsson (The Els Club, Dubai) 74.
- Ahmed (EGF) 75.
- Hazelwood (Scotland) 75.
The 2025 ProDreamUSA UAE Open is a qualifier for World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) supported by The R&A.
