By Kent Gray
Luke Joy charts his global golfing odyssey in a refreshingly honest online blog. It’s a warts and all account of the trials and tribulations of a young Abu Dhabi-based Englishman chasing his pro golf dream and it’s fair to say that while there’s been plenty to talk about in 2017, not a lot of it has been happy.
It started with a DQ for inadvertently signing an incorrect second round scorecard at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February. There followed a series of near MENA Tour misses (five top 3 finishes in all), frustration that spiralled downward dramatically when he contracted a “savage” bout of malaria during the circuit’s South African swing in June and ended up in a Pretoria hospital.
In September, the Yas Links attached 29-year-old was left “embarrassed” after missing the cut at the European Tour’s KLM Open, a performance he described as “absolutely useless”. The misery (stick with us here) compounded when he failed to advance from the first stage of European Tour Q-School in Austria – by a single stroke – in a “devastating blow” a week later.
Yet more heartache followed at the MENA Tour Championship in Ajman when, by the equivalent of a measly $121, he dropped to third in the OOM, denying him a shot at KLM Open redemption next year. He did earn a Desert Classic return and full Sunshine Tour status for 2018 although the illness in Pretoria may make a Asian Development Tour pass more appealing.
Ever the optimist, Joy carried on. And on Saturday, we are delighted to report, the perseverance finally paid of as Joy won the King Hamad Trophy at the Royal Club in Bahrain by five strokes from Joshua White.
Here’s the joyous moment via the Bahrain Golf Association’s new Instagram feed:
“Absolutely buzzing to get the job done today and get over the line first and want to thank the Bahrain Golf Association for the invite and hospitality, was a really well run event and look forward to returning next year,” said Joy who carded rounds of 67-66-68 despite the tricky greens.
“I think if they had the greens any quicker this week you could miss the green, from the green!”
Joy now has a well deserved day off today before the final kick of his season which includes a two-day Pro-Am in Dubai before his final event of the year in Equatorial Guinea next month, the 3E Actuaries Open in Mongomo.
“It’s always an event I look forward to playing and always seems to provide great entertainment.”
Much like Joy’s blog has all season. Here’s to a stellar finish to 2017 in Africa.
