Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship defending champion Rickie Fowler got a good look at the UAE’s hottest up and coming golf star Rayhan Thomas today when he played nine holes with the him at Abu Dhabi Golf Club as part of his preparations for this week’s tournament when gets underway on Thursday. And the American Ryder Cup star was suitably impressed with what he saw from the 17 year old who will join him in the field this week.
“I thought he did great,” said Fowler who won last year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship by one stroke from Belgium’s Thomas Pieters. “I don’t feel like I’m a whole lot older than him, but he’s still a young kid, coming out, playing junior golf and it was fun for me to play with him.
“I know he’s had some success around here and I’ve heard a lot about his game.
“I think it’s going to be a great experience for him and I love being able to see the young talent coming up, because I feel like it wasn’t very long ago that I was young and fresh coming out on Tour. It seems like he has a simple game. It’s very solid.
“I guess if he gets off to a good start and gets comfortable, I don’t see any reason why he can’t go play well this week.”
Thomas, who won last year’s Dubai Creek Open on the MENA Tour before going on to top the Amateur Order of Merit, will tee it up alongside Sam Walker and David Drysdale in Thursday’s opening round.
While World No.2 Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from the event with a rib injury, the field includes World No.3 Dustin Johnson as well as World No.4 and Race to Dubai champion Henrik Stenson who is making his first appearance of the 2017 European Tour season.
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