Tommy Fleetwood has made the cut at the UAE Challenge being held this week in Abu Dhabi. Fleetwood, Fleetwood. The real one. But Fleetwood, Fleetwood? Fleetwood? The one from the Ryder, the hair…? Fleetwood, Fleetwood? Yes, Fleetwood, Fleetwood.
However, he has achieved this in a role that is not his usual one. The Englishman is working as a caddie under the command of Oscar Craig, his 17-year-old stepson, an amateur golfer who is playing his first professional tournament valid for the world ranking. Strictly speaking, we don’t know who is working under whose command. Obviously, Craig executes, but the ideologist has to be Tommy.
This teenager (and his stepfather) are two of the main protagonists of the tournament being held at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, but not the only ones. There is another one who is barely 18 years old, who turned professional six months ago and who is currently the solo leader of the tournament. This is also the Englishman Joshua Berry (-11). He has a two-stroke lead over Hamish Brown (-9) and Wilco Nienaber (-9). One more week the tall South African in the high zone of the tournaments before the cod is distributed. We will see if he also arrives at the top at that time or fades like last week.
Berry got the Challenge Tour card after completing a splendid European Circuit school. He started from the first phase and reached the final. Yorkshire amateur champion started playing professional tournaments very early, at just 16 years old. Interestingly, his debut circuit was the Gecko Tour that was held years ago on the Costa del Sol and from which, among others, Sami Valimaki came out.
As for the Spaniards, the best classified is Javier Sainz (-6). The Biscayan golfer is in the fight for everything, five strokes from the lead and three from second place. Today he has signed 68 strokes, with birdies on three of the four par 5s and a solitary bogey. He is fully in the top 10. Also making the cut, although they are far from the head, are Joel Moscatel (-2), Ángel Ayora (-2) and Borja Virto (-1). The Navarrese has been able to survive today two double bogeys. Much merit.
