Jumeirah Golf Estates' Aayan Dadabhoy shot rounds of 80 and 72 for a 36-hole total of 152 to finish 11th in the Underrated Tour Championship at Liberty National Golf Club, New Jersey, US, hosted by basketball superstar Steph Curry, who attended the tournament.

Liberty National has historically hosted numerous PGA Tour events, most notably The Northern Trust in 2021, won by Patrick Reed.

He secured his spot in the elite Tour Championship after winning the European qualifier of the Underrated Golf Tour at Kittocks Course at Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland, in mid-August.

Posting rounds of 73 and a final-round bogey-free 67, he finished four under par, winning by three strokes and cementing his reputation as one of the UAE's brightest golfing talents - he was one of 28 boys aged 12 – 18 years old in the Tour Championship.

The tournament was open to both boys and girls, with 28 girls also competing.

The majority of the qualifiers all advanced through the USA Division of the Underrated Tour. The format of the Curry Cup was similar to the FedEx Cup last year, where it was based on a handicap system for qualifying, from five under par for the leading qualifier to even par. Aayan started on two under par.

The principles of the Underrated Golf Tour, which was launched in 2022, are to provide equity and access to a world of opportunities - these dreams are all within reach, regardless of ethnic background, gender, or class.

The winner of the Boys' Division was Jayden Lizama with rounds of 74 and 67, with the Girls' Division won by Julia Herzberg with rounds of 73 and 73 and a four-stroke victory.

Another player from the Middle East competing was Daniil Sokolov (Qatar), who finished tied seventh with rounds of 78 and 70.

Aayan told Khaleej Times, 'It was a great experience, the whole trip – it was unbelievable, and the hospitality was second to none. Competing against the world's best juniors and achieving 11th place was exactly the challenge I wanted. It was a very professionally run tournament – it felt like a professional tournament.

“I played well – I just had a poor start to my first round – but came back strong. I had seven birdies in my final round, and looking back, my score could have been even better. I was very proud of how I both played and scored.'

'Looking ahead, I hope to earn an invite to the Challenge Tour or a UAE professional event. I've just received an invitation to the Clutch Pro Tour events at Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club and the Grand Final, which is exciting. I also hope to play in more professional tournaments in the region,' Aayan concluded.

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