UAE's Grenville Wood makes first tournament hole-in-one

The UAE’s Joshua Grenville-Wood made his first ever hole-in-one during tournament play en route to a first round two-under-par 70 at the Challenge Tour’s Kolkata Challenge

The ace, which was the sixth in his career but first in a professional event, came at the 220-yard, par-three 13th hole at Royal Calcutta Golf Club, using a five-iron, during Thursday’s opening round in in Kolkata.

The 26-year-old ended the day in a share of 19^th, four shots behind home favourite Om Prakash Chouhan.

“It was obviously nice to get a hole-in-one on one of the more difficult par 3s, long, into the wind, back right pin,” Grenville-Wood told Gulf News.

“It was one of the very few decent shots I actually hit today, because I didn’t hit many good ones! 

“It was a bit of a grind out there. I didn’t hit it very well off the tee and it’s a pretty tight course. I found myself in a few trees and in the rough quite a lot, but I scrambled and played really smart and just tried to keep the ball in play which I seemed to do fairly well.

“At the end of the day it’s a decent opening score.”

Next month, the Challenge Tour returns to UAE shores with events at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club and Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman.

In addition to welcoming the next generation of global talent, who are all vying for a place on the DP World Tour, the two events are set to once again create a pathway for both Emirati golfers and UAE residents.

A total of 60 spots will be allocated to the Emirates Golf Federation over the two-week period, thanks to the federation’s long-standing partnership with the European Tour group.

One of the players to receive a spot at the 2024 UAE Challenge was 17-year-old amateur Oscar Craig who went on to make the cut with stepfather and Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood serving as his caddie for the week.