Fifteen-year-old Joel Neale stole the show with a perfect three points out of three as the amateurs dismantled their professional opponents 21-11 in the Dubai Golf Trophy.
And the youngster achieved the feat having just stepped off a plane from Australia, where he had been the UAE's sole competitor in the 2007 MasterCard Junior Masters at The Vines Resort and Country Club, Perth.
Showing no signs of jet lag despite the early start on Saturday at the Wadi course at Emirates Golf Club, Neale and fellow junior Khalid Yousuf pummelled Tom Rourke and Craig Martin into a 4 and 3 defeat. Turning around quickly for their afternoon foursomes, the same pair then demolished Cyril Rozes and Martin Duff 5 and 4.
Neale followed that up on Sunday with a sparkling display against Joel Dowland to be six up at the turn before running out a 5 and 4 winner and Yousuf also shone as he tussled with Tom Rourke, before winning 2 and 1 to maintain the pair's flawless record.
With fellow Juniors Matthew Turner (who won 2.5 points), Sean Thornberry (2.5pts) and Eric Hesson (1.5pts), the flying quintet secured nearly half of the amateurs' 21-point tally.
Amateurs captain Dave Wall paid tribute to his side: “Most of our players are just 14, 15 or 16 years old and they played like seasoned pros. But I take my hat off to the professionals. They teach us how to play the game and without them we could not have won. They can be very proud, even in defeat.''
DUBAI TROPHY SCORECARDS
Round 1 – Fourball betterball, Wadi course at Emirates GC (professional names first)
Steven Hubner and David Stevenson bt Dave Wall and Dino Varkey 3 and 2; Alan Mackenzie and Martin Duff bt Steve Edgely and Alex Charwani 3 and 2; Greg Holmes and Joel Dowland lost to Ariel Ignacio and Eric Hesson 2 and 1; Cyril Rozes and Julian Danby lost to Matthew Turner and Sean Thornberry 5 and 4; James Bowring and David Gray lost to Vikram Judge and Jay Varkey 6 and 5; Craig Martin and Tom Rourke lost to Khalid Yousuf and Joel Neale 4 and 3; Jamie Wood and Peter Bailey lost to John Mills and Niklas Wallin 3 and 2; Nick Oakley and Graeme Bell bt Miki Mirza and Humayan Shahryar 1 up.
MATCH SCORE: Professionals 3 Amateurs 5
Round 2 – Foursomes, Wadi (pro names first)
Hubner and Stevenson halved with Judge and J Varkey; Mackenzie and Dowland halved with Turner and Thornberry; Rozes and Duff lost to Yousuf and Neale 5 and 4; Gray and Rourke bt Ignacio and Hesson 6 and 5; Holmes and Danby lost to Wall and Edgely 2 up; Martina and Bell lost to D Varkey and Charawani 1 up; Oakley and Wood bt Mirza and Shahryar 5 and 4; Bowring and Bailey halved with Mills and Wallin.
MATCH SCORE: Professionals 6.5 Amateurs 9.5
Round 3 – Singles, Dubai Creek (pros first)
Bell lost to D Varkey 2up; Bailey bt Edgely 4 and 3; Hubner bt Charawani 1 up; Mackenzie lost to Wall 3 and 2; Oakley lost to Judge 3 and 1; Rourke lost to Yousuf 2 and 1; Bowring lost to Thornberry 1up; Martin halved with Hesson; Duff bt Shahryar 3 and 1; Danby lost to J Varkey 4 and 3; Rozes lost to Ignacio 4 and 3; Dowland lost to Neale 5 and 4; Holmes lost to Mirza 5 and 4; Stevenson lost to Turner 5 and 4; Gray bt Wallin 4 and 2; Wood lost to Mills 2 and 1.
FINAL MATCH SCORE: Professionals 11 Amateurs 21
