Amateur sensation Josh Hill, already a lock for Desert Classic, will now also tee it up in Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Ahmed Skaik and Josh Hill at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

By Kent Gray
Josh Hill has had one of those golfing years you don’t want to end. Except he can’t wait for 2020.

With a 54th (and final) hole birdie, the 15-year-old Dubai-based England Boys’ representative captured the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship on Wednesday to earn a spot in next month’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

It means Hill will not only be the youngest player to tee it up in the $7 million Rolex Series event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club but will also play back-to-back European Tour events after also qualifying for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic courtesy of winning the MENA Tour’s amateur Journey to Jordan title.

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? Congratulations to 15-year-old Josh Hill, on an incredible win at the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship!
✅ Qualifies for the 2020 #ADGOLFCHAMPS! ?
? THE YOUNGEST EVER GOLFER TO PLAY AT OUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT 15 Y/O!#RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/f3exdrsi3T
— Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA (@ADGolfChamps) December 18, 2019

Hill’s one-stroke victory over pal Arjun Gupta at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on Wednesday capped a stellar 2019 highlighted by his victory in the MENA Tour’s Al Ain Open where he became the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking Event.

The Trump Dubai club member fired rounds of 70-72-75 for a one-over 217 aggregate in tricky conditions at the Gary Player-designed SBGC, edging Gupta (70-77-71) by a stroke. Toby Bishop (74-77-69), the third member of the MENA Tour’s self-titled ‘Three Musketeers’, fittingly rounded out the top three places with a four-over 220 total.

Arjun is currently ranked 1886 on the @WAGRank, but he will climb rapidly in 2020. Love the fact that he consciously put on nearly 10 kilos over the summer to help his golf. He is already seeing the benefits. pic.twitter.com/ByTNCuPfsl
— Joy Chakravarty (@TheJoyofGolf) December 18, 2019

Hill will be joined at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA by Ahmed Skaik (76-81-74) who finished leading Emirati at Saadiyat Beach. Skaik held his nerve in a playoff with Saif Thabet (78-78-75) for the European Tour start after both finished in T11 place at SBGC on +15.