‘It was a special day’: Dadabhoy after firing six birdies to lead US Kids UAE Championship

Aayan Dadabhoy from Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE) described his five-under-par 67 as 'one of my best rounds ever' after taking the lead in the opening round of the 54-hole US Kids UAE Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah.

Sixteen-year-old Aayan, playing off a +2 handicap carded six birdies in all. He had birdies on holes 1, 3, 5, and 8 to make the turn at four-under 32 before adding two more on 14 and 16.

The only blemish on his otherwise stellar round came on the par-5 18th, where his tee shot found a tricky lie in the left-side bunker. Forced to punch out with his second, Dadabhoy reached the green with his third but three-putted from 50 feet, settling for a bogey six.

The tournament features 14 divisional age groups and is sanctioned by the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF). Notably, the 54-hole Elite Division for Boys and Girls aged 13-18 is recognized as a World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) qualifier, supported by The R&A.

He told Khaleej Times after his round, “We played last week in the WAGR event here at Al Hamra and we had a plan. The golf course was set up shorter than last week. We were in the first match off the first tee at 7 am - it was very cold when we teed off and the greens were damp.

“The positive was the pace of play in a two-ball - it was excellent. It was one of my best rounds ever. I was initially disappointed with my home hole bogey as I marked my scorecard – but on reflection, it has been a special day for me with some excellent golf.

“I will rest this afternoon and recover from a recent back strain, I have an inflamed left joint. I have had regular physio work over the last few weeks which has kept me on the golf course. I have played a lot of golf recently in so many important tournaments. This is my last tournament of 2024 – I need a rest and to recover and then go again early in 2025, hopefully with a clean bill of health.

“Tomorrow is another day and I will take the same plan as round one – but as we all know, golf never feels the same the next day – whether as a positive or a negative,,” concluded Dadabhoy.

The 2023–24 EGF Order of Merit Junior Champion, Dadabhoy recently achieved one of the highlights of his career with an impressive eight-under-par round to win the Scratch Junior Matchplay at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The leader of the Girl’s 15-18 Division is Ailsa Molokanova representing the Russian Golf Federation with a 74.

Ailsa is looking for an Al Hamra double having taken the title at last week’s RAK Amateur World Junior Championship which finished on Sunday over the same golf course.

Last week Ailsa shot rounds of 78, 71 and 77 for a 54-hole total of 226 to win by four shots.

Round One Scores (Par 72)

Boys 15-18

Dadabhoy (JGE) 67.

Ahmed (EGF) 70.

G. Sasdelli (Italy) 71.

Girls 15-18

Molokanova (Russian Golf Fed’n) 74.

Singhania (Ind) 77.

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