Craig Howie is hoping to use course knowledge to his advantage this week as he prepares to tee it up in the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, the first of back-to-back Challenge Tour events in the UAE.
This week’s venue represents a golden opportunity for the Scotsman, who is an ambassador for Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club and has been a regular at the course for over a decade.
His association began during winter training camps with the University of Stirling, where Howie found the tranquillity of the course a particular positive.
“It’s great to get away from the hustle and bustle of cities like Dubai,” he said. “Al Ain is a little bit quieter, so it’s a perfect place to come and work away from distractions.
“The course is always in great condition, and the team do a great job of keeping it like that. The practice area is as good as you’ll get anywhere else.”
Howie has made a solid start to his season – making the cut in all six events so far – and currently lies 36th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings. The 29-year-old will be looking to take advantage of familiar surroundings this week, but insists he isn’t putting undue pressure on himself.
“I’ve been pretty consistent this year, but I’ve not really had a big finishes, so I’m looking to improve on that this week,” he said. “I haven’t got super high expectations, but it’s obviously a course I know well, which could be a difference maker.”
The Championship Course at Al Ain has recently lengthened a number of holes, a change which Howie suggested has made the course “a lot more competitive”. The Scotsman doubled down on the added yardage, singling out length off the tee as one of the keys to victory this week.
“With the extra length, there are fewer wedges, more proper iron shots and some really demanding tee shots," he added.
“You hit a lot of drivers, but the hitting areas aren’t the tightest, so length will be an advantage. The greens here are usually quite firm, so length will also help with having shorter clubs in.”
Howie joins a very strong field for the Abu Dhabi Challenge, where he will tee it up alongside several winners on the DP World Tour and a Ryder Cup winner in Nicolas Colsaerts.
The back-to-back Challenge Tour events in the UAE, which are also supported by Arena, Phoenix Capital and Al Laith, are part of the European Tour group’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), which aims to develop golf in the UAE for at least the next decade.
Thirty spots in each upcoming tournament will be allocated to the EGF to help create playing opportunities and provide a pathway for UAE golfers. Emirati golfers including Joshua Grenville-Wood and Ahmed Al Musharrekh, will tee it up in Al Ain this week.
Play will get under way at 6:30 local time on Thursday, with Howie teeing it up alongside Al Musharrekh and Swede Mikael Lindberg.
