By Kent Gray
Josh Hill’s MENA Tour dream was on the rocks after the 14-year-old signed for an 80 in the opening round of the regional Pro-Am circuit’s category B Q-School in Jordan on Sunday. Cue that timeless old cliché about form being temporary and class hard earned.

A three-under-par 69 at Ayla Golf Club on Monday has seen the Dubai-domiciled English U-16 amateur representative make the 36-hole cut in Aqaba and with breathing space too; his five-over 149 aggregate was three shots inside the snip.

Hill still has much work to do to capture one of the 30 cards on offer at the second of the two qualifiers ahead of the start of the tour’s 10-event schedule on Friday, also at Ayla G.C. The teen was solo 42nd overnight, three shots adrift of professional compatriot Jacob Oakley who has a tenuous grip on 30th place at two-over-par following contrasting rounds of 69-77.

That Hill is even in the conversation is remarkable though given Sunday’s horror opening in Aqaba, a round featuring four bogeys, a double and even a triple bogey. But the new Trump International Golf Club, Dubai member displayed on Monday one of golf’s greatest commodities – bounce back-ability by producing three birdies in an otherwise blemish-free round which highlighted his fighting capabilities.

RELATED: Meet Josh Hill, the hottest amateur talent from Dubai since Rayhan Thomas

Hill was one of three amateurs among the 49-players (from 66 starters) to make the cut; German Julian Ballmann is T-43 on +6 and Emirati Abdulla Al Qubaisi T-47 on +8. Sadly, Hill’s pals Toby Bishop and Arjun Gupta weren’t able to recover after also posting 80s in the opening round. Bishop signed for a 73 on Monday to finish +9 while Gupta was disqualified.

Remember these names – Josh Hill, Arjun Gupta and Toby Bishop. You will be hearing an awful lot about Dubai golf’s ‘Three Musketeers’ in the years to come.

They start an incredible golf adventure with the @theMENATour!https://t.co/VuJ5VPmb1t pic.twitter.com/TzdljenHPW

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) January 12, 2019

Challenge Tour-bound Englishman Matthew Baldwin is on course for wire-to-wire medallist honours in Aqaba after backing up his opening 68 with a blemish free, six-under 66 on Monday to be -10. Baldwin has played the opening 36 holes without a bogey and will take a one stroke lead over countryman James Allan into Tuesday’s final round. Scot Jack Doherty is third on -7 after also carding a 66 on Monday.

RELATED: Matthew Baldwin finds the MENA Tour a handy tune-up to a career at the crossroads

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The Scotsman (pictured second from left) won the tour’s Q-School by three strokes last week but will miss the US$40,000, 54-hole Casablanca Open which concludes at Palmeraie Country Club Thursday to attend his brother Paul’s stag-do in the United Kingdom.

Jack is expected to make his debut proper alongside Paul, a former MENA Tour winner, in next week’s Royal Golf Mohammedia Open, also in Casablanca, before teeing it up in the April 24-26 Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links, the third event of the season before a three-tournament Thailand swing.

Jack Doherty started the final round of Q-School at Royal Golf El Jadida two shots off the pace and recovered from two early bogeys to fire a three under-par 69 to finish on 216, even par.

He led a Scotland one-two with 2015 Walker Cup rep Grant Forrest carding a final round 73 to finish runner-up on +3, a shot ahead of a Spaniards Gabriel Canizares and Leonardo Axel Lilja Moyano and Englishman Paul Dwyer.

India’s Feroz Singh Garewal, who shared the 36-hole lead with Moyano, slipped into a tie of 10th on +7 after signing for a 78 while England’s Danny Poulter, the brother of Ryder Cupper Ian, finished in a three-way tie for 7^th on six-over 222, a stroke behind England’s Nicholas McCarthy.

Former England cricketer Craig Kieswetter, who has set himself the target of being a regular on the European Tour, birdied two of his last four holes for a closing 75 that left him in a share of 31st at 18 over.

Elsewhere, UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh finished in a tie for 53rd on 23 over after posting a final round 78 as the top 55 and ties from the final stage were awarded the MENA Tour cards for the 2017 season.

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

Multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy and the Maybank Championship Malaysia in addition to full playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the final stage of the Asian Tour Q-School for the leading three professionals are among the incentives for the MENA Tour members.

Pictured above (L to R) are the MENA Tour’s Robbie Williams, Q-School champion Jack Doherty, chief referee Abdelatif Elbachari and Royal Golf El Jadida manager Redouane Diab.

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