You may or may not remember all the hype last summer that surrounded 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia. He was supposed to be the next big thing in golf. The kid decided he was too good for college golf and proceeded to turn professional last fall. He signed a deal with Callaway and he was supposed to be on his way.
Unfortunately, Bhatia didn’t make it very far in his attempt to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour’s developmental arm. So now Bhatia’s immediate future is a bit foggy and perhaps a year or two in the college ranks might have been a better route.
Now there’s a 15-year-old named Josh Hill. He was born in Dubai to English-citizen parents. This kid could be the next big thing.
He shot a final round 62 to win the Al Ain Open on the Mena Tour, a professional event. With that win, he became the youngest-ever to win an event recognized by the Official World Golf Rankings. Ryo Ishikawa previously held the honor but he was two months older than Hill.
After his 62, Hill was disappointed and declared: “I honestly could have broken 60 today.”
That 62 got the attention of former Masters champ Danny Willett who declared Hill to be “seriously impressive.”
Earlier this week Hill won the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship, closing out the victory with a birdie on the final hole at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Along with the win, Hill earned a spot in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the European Tour next month.
Hill was already getting ready for a European Tour event — the Dubai Desert Classic (Jan. 23-26), the week after the HSBC event.
So the 15-year-old will have back-to-back starts in two premier European Tour events.
Let’s keep an eye on this kid.
