Dubai: Unheralded Andy Sullivan said Thursday’s opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic was one of the best days of his life after carding a seven under par 65 alongside global stars Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer.
The 28-year-old Englishman, who turned professional in 2011, comes to Dubai off the back of his first professional victory at the South African Open Championship in Ekurhuleni earlier this month.
He now stands tied for second a stroke behind leader Bernd Wiesberger.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” said Sullivan, who earned his European Tour card in 2012 but had to return to qualifying school ahead of the 2013 season after finishing 145th in the Race to Dubai in his rookie year.
He went on to finish 98th and 33rd in the subsequent Race to Dubai seasons and made headlines last year when he won a trip into space after carding a hole-in-one at the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
“You dream of playing alongside guys like that [McIlroy and Kaymer], so to actually do it and play the way I did is very pleasing,” said Sullivan, who had never previously played with McIlroy or Kaymer, who between them boast an enviable six majors.
“When the draw came out I thought they had made a mistake. I was a bit nervous on the first tee but they made me feel really comfortable and it showed in my golf. I played really well,” he added of his unblemished round that included three birdies and an eagle on the front nine and two birdies on his return.
“If you can’t get lifted by two guys of their credentials, you’ve got a problem. You never know how you are going to react in that company, but it brought out the best in me. Hopefully I can get further up the rankings and play in three-balls like that more often.
“I didn’t look up at the leaderboard because I was too busy watching Rory and Martin so much. I didn’t think about who was up there until the end. I’m on cloud nine at the moment, I enjoyed every minute of it.
“It was an absolute pleasure to go out and play with them today and hopefully I’ll do the same again tomorrow.”