Joshua Grenville-Wood is looking to secure a maiden professional victory at the Abu Dhabi Challenge this week as the Road to Mallorca heads to his native UAE for back-to-back events.
The 26-year-old impressed in the Abu Dhabi Challenge last year with a tie for second at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and he is hoping to use local knowledge to his advantage again this week at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club - a course he believes is well suited to his long-hitting game.
“This week is a great opportunity for me to finally get a professional win under my belt at a course I’ve been playing since 2019,” he said. “I’ve come close to winning a couple of times now, and I know I’ve got the game to do it.
“Al Ain is a big hitter’s paradise, and I know where the good spots to hit it and the better misses are. The putting surfaces can be quite tricky here, because they’re slopy but don’t break as much as you think.”
Grenville-Wood has been based in Dubai for the last five years and was given the opportunity to represent the UAE and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) last year, and he believes the immaculate golf courses and amazing weather in the UAE has been pivotal in taking his golf game to the next level.
“I first visited Dubai in 2015 and instantly fell in love with the place, ever since then I’ve wanted to make it my home,” he said.
“Moving out here full time and representing the EGF has been such a boost, and I’ve never looked back.
“You can constantly work on improving your game during the winter, it makes such a big difference with preparation for the season.”
Grenville-Wood joins a strong field in Al Ain this week which includes 2012 European Ryder Cup winner and former Vice-Captain Nicolas Colsaerts, seven-time DP World Tour winner Alvaro Quiros, and Road to Mallorca Number One Mikael Lindberg.
Round one will get under way at 6:30am local time, with Grenville-Wood teeing off at 12:40pm alongside Colsaerts and Road to Mallorca Number Two Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who secured victory at the recent Kolkata Challenge in India.
