Making his debut on the European Tour this week at the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA there is a lot to admire about 15-year-old Josh Hill.
He was the youngest winner of a professional tournament
Aged 15 years, six months and 27 days Hill became the youngest winner ever of an Official World Golf Ranking-recognised professional tournament, after he won the 2019 Al Ain Open with a final-round 62 on the MENA Tour in Dubai by one shot. This also meant he beat the previous record, set by Ryo Ishikawa in 2007, by a whole two months.
He started playing golf at the age of two
The English teenage sensation first picked up a club at two-years-old when he was introduced to the game by his grandfather in Spain. For the first year and a half he only played with a cut down 2-iron.
His handicap is currently +5.4
A resident in Dubai, Hill is a member of Trump International Dubai, playing to a handicap of +5.4 and when he was just 13-years-old he set the course record there with a round of 65.
He is the youngest player to qualify for back-to-back European Tour events
Hill’s record-breaking win on the MENA Tour saw him qualify for his first European Tour event at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic but his success didn’t end there. Aged 15 years and ten months he won the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship with a birdie on the last hole at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club to earn a place at the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
He beat Brooks Koepka in a practice round in Abu Dhabi
Warming up for the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship he took on and beat World Number One Brooks Koepka in an eight-hole practice round at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The round was arranged by Koepka’s coach Claude Harmon III and Hill relished the chance by out-driving the American on two holes during the match.
He first broke par when he was nine years of age
A week before his tenth birthday, playing at the Earth course on Jumeirah Golf Estates, Hill shot an under-par round and just two weeks earlier, when playing Dubai Creek, he was two-under through 16 holes before play was suspended.
His golfing idol is Tiger Woods
Having watched golf throughout his childhood, his all-time favourite golfer is Tiger Woods. When he was just four-years-old he first thought of becoming a professional golfer after watching thousands follow Tiger at the 2008 Omega Dubai Desert Classic
“He may not have been at his best, but I loved watching videos of him winning tournaments,” Hill said.
He jams out to rap music
Hill, who was born in Surrey, England, splits his time between Dubai and Devon and his favourite genre of music is rap with a specific love of the artist Dave.
His secret weapon is his driver
At 6ft 1in Josh is already taller than his Dad and in 2018 alone increased his club-head speed from 103mph to 112mph, which proves he can mix it with the best in the game.
His all-time favourite round is Brooks Koepka’s 74 at Bethpage Black
When we asked what his all-time favourite round in the history of golf was he said Koepka’s 74 in the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship. “It was a round that showed how strong he is mentally,” Hill added.
