By Kent Gray
Johnson, McIlroy, Rose, Stenson, Kuchar, Fleetwood, Casey and… (insert sound of sudden record scratch) Buchanan.

Don’t fret if you’ve never heard of the bloke who has just managed to cling onto the coattails of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship’s “Magnificent Seven” – Tom Buchanan can’t quite believe it either.

The 37-year-old old Scot, Head Professional at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, earned himself a dream start in the $3 million event at Abu Dhabi G.C. from Jan. 18-21 by winning a UAE PGA qualifier at sisterclub Saadiyat Beach G.C. on Monday.

Buchanan won it in some style too, a five-under 67 seeing him finish three shots clear of Yas Links amateur Dan Kirkwood who will also now tee it up with the world’s best players next month. Saadiyat Beach G.C’s Matt Waters was third after a -1, 70.

We started this interview by reading out the surnames of the PR-manufactured Magnificent Seven before awaiting Buchanan’s reaction.

“It’s just bonkers, a bit nuts,” was the disbelieving riposte from the Stranraer man, prefaced by something about “quaking in my boots” and a reference to a sore head on the morning after the big night before. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve come straight back down to earth. I got into work this morning and two members have just asked me to take them coffees out to them on the course.”

Buchanan gulped down a strong one or three himself as he tried to make sense of it all.

Tom Buchanan with his caddy Dan Whittaker, a member at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.

“It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet and probably won’t until I actually get there.  It’s just an absolute dream come true,” he said.

“The messages of support from the members at Al Ain and my home club back in Scotland [Duddington G.C] have been just amazing. I think Friday at the HSBC could be quite an eventual day.”

Indeed, it promises to be a huge week with Buchanan to celebrate his 38th birthday on the Tuesday of the Desert Swing opener.  He hopes to spend it playing a practice round with a name European Tour pro to help settle his nerves.

Buchanan actually qualified for the Dubai Open, a co-sanctioned Asian Tour event at The Els Club, Dubai  three years ago, and admits the experience was a little overwhelming.

“Arjan Atwal played in the group ahead of me and there was Darren Clarke too, the whole experience was just amazing. But this is obviously at a completely different level,” he said.

“At the Els I really just left everything take over, never really settled. I missed the cut and didn’t play particularly well so I’ll try and play a couple of practice rounds with some decent players just to help me settle into the week.

“Making the cut would be an absolute dream but really, I’ll just be trying to take it all in and enjoy it.”

Buchanan started Monday’s qualifier on the par 5 10th at Saadiyat and quickly got into gear, two putting the par 4 11th to go one under. That was cancelled out by a bogey at 13 before he birdied 14, 15, 17 and 18 to turn four under courtesy of just 11 putts. There was a birdie on the 1st too, his fifth in six holes, before the realisation of what he was about to achieve, and the jitters, kicked in.

He three putted the 2nd for par, hit “terrible shots” at the 3rd and 5th, the latter a water ball, en-route to bogeys which saw him back peddle to -3. Fortunately he knocked it close on the 6th and also birdied  7th before rolling home with two regulation pars to the congratulations of his UAE PGA brethren.

“I never thought I’d be pegging it up in one of the biggest events in the world so to IMG, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the club [Abu Dhabi], the UAE PGA and Callum Nicoll at Abu Dhabi who was instrumental in making this possible, the EGF, it’s huge. For us [UAE PGA] guys to have the opportunity to qualify for such a big event is amazing. We lost it four or five years ago so hopefully we can keep this going now. It means a lot.”