Where Fife golfer Calum Hill finished in Abu Dhabi and how he can win PGA Tour card at Dubai finale
Fife golf star Calum Hill had a rollercoaster ride at the DP World Tour’s penultimate tournament of the season, the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship which finished in the Middle East on Sunday.
Sitting joint second last in the 70-man field after a horror opening round of 78 last Thursday, the 31-year-old then recovered majorly, reducing his daily score round by round to fire subsequent efforts of 71, 68 and 64 and end on seven under par for his four-round total of 281.
In the week that rival Tour LIV Golf announced it was shutting down, Spaniard Jon Rahm – one of that breakaway circuit’s most high profile recruits before recently quitting – was the winner in Abu Dhabi last weekend on 23 under 265, two strokes clear of runner-up and fellow ex-LIV man Tyrrell Hatton of England.
Third place in the tournament, two strokes further back, was Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the seven-time European money list champion who is currently second in the rankings behind leader Eugenio Chacarra of Spain.
His result has moved Kirkcaldy-born Hill down one place to 31st in the Race to Dubai rankings ahead of this week’s campaign-ending competition, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai being contested by him, Chacarra, McIlroy, Patrick Reed and the other top 50 players on the money list.
Hill likely needs a victory or solo second-place finish in Dubai to elevate himself into one of the 10 places on offer to currently non-exempt players to qualify for a card on next season’s PGA Tour. Hill is very keen to get a US card as he has a home in Arizona with his wife and son.