Dubai: Khalid Attieh (amateur) and Callum Nicoll (professional) held their nerves when it mattered most to win the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic qualifying round in their respective divisions at the Emirates Golf Club on Sunday.
The two qualifiers, who shot an identical one-under-par 71, will join a star-studded field spearheaded by world number one Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer of the modern era, when the European Tour event gets under way from February 10 to 13.
Young Attieh, who became the second Saudi golfer to win the qualifier after Othman Al Mulla, fired four birdies and an eagle (on the tenth) in his round which also contained a triple bogey and two bogeys while Nicoll mixed three birdies — two on the front nine — with two bogeys in a consistent round.
Eagle on tenth
The Saudi ace, who is a class 10 student at Dubai American Academy, appeared to be on cruise control when he raced to three-under-par after recording a magnificent eagle on the tenth. But golf can be full of surprises.
A disaster struck on the 12th when an erratic approach shot by Attieh went out of bounds, resulting in a triple bogey.
Attieh, however, remained unruffled despite squandering a two-shot lead over Dubai Creek's Andy Andrews, who, in the end, settled for runner-up place three shots off the pace.
The 16-year-old, with Al Mulla in the bag, showed strength of character in getting the job done.
He responded with a birdie on the 13th and though he bogeyed the 15th, he picked up the vital shot on the 17th when he holed in from two feet and finished a memorable round with a solid par. "I think I played solid on the front nine and that set tone for the round," said Attieh, who has already made a mark on the regional circuit.