He’s had a ball as assistant teaching professional at Al Zorah G.C. in Ajman for the past two years but his successful defence of the UAE PGA Championship on Tuesday, to sew up the season-long OOM title in style, reinforced the decision to have a crack at playing full-time. The 21-year-old will return to his home town of Pretoria in mid-May and begin playing the IGT Challenge Tour from July. It’s a development circuit, now aligned with the Big Easy Tour and a stepping-stone to South Africa’s main Sunshine Tour which Wears-Taylor hopes to crack via Q-School next March.

“If I leave it, never do it, I know I’ll regret it in 10 years time, like woah, why didn’t I at least try,” said Wears-Taylor of the next chapter in a life which included marrying Rochelle last August.

“My wife and I, we’re pretty happy where we are in life and it will be nice to return home, be back around family to help us, a nice base and I can crack on. The IGT is a great tour, about where the MENA Tour was two or three years ago. There’s good players, all hungry for success so hopefully I can get a few results to get ready for Q-School and get onto the Sunshine Tour.”

He hasn’t committed yet but is likely to return to the club of his boyhood, Woodhill Country Club, and intends finishing the final year of his three-year PGA training to ensure he has something to fall back on if the touring life doesn’t work out.

But the way he’s played in the UAE the last two years – he’s backed up a four-win rookie season with a four more titles this 2017-18 season – he looks to have the goods to have a decent nudge in the play for your mortgage ranks.

Wears-Taylor backed up an opening 67 in the UAE PGA’s flagship event at Arabian Ranches with a one-over 73 on Tuesday to finish -4, a stroke ahead of Trump Dubai pro Mike Bolt who finished with wet sails with a 68.  Shane Peacock (Al Ain) was third on -2 while UAE PGA chief executive Luke Plump (Even) and Malcolm Young (+2) rounded out the top five.

“I’m stoked about it,” Wears-Taylor said of his successful defence at Arabian Ranches. “Especially as it’s my last strokeplay event out here. When you see a player like [Abu Dhabi G.C. director of golf] Callum Nicoll’s name on the trophy two years in a row, to sort of be in that category, it’s pretty special.”

Great way to end a memorable @uaepga season! ??? Thanks for all the support from family and friends. ? @taylormadegolf_me @alzorahgolfclub #golf #golfer #win #pga #sport #trophy #champion #yesplease

A post shared by Stefan Wears-Taylor (@stefwt1) on May 1, 2018 at 6:03am PDT

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Actually, make that good start a great one. The young Al Zorah professional opened the UAE PGA’s flagship event with a five under 67 at Arabian Ranches on Monday. It earned the tournament’s defending champion a four-stroke halfway lead over the trio of Jack Woods (Dubai Creek), Joe Marshall (Butch Harmon School of Golf) and Shane Peacock (Al Ain).

More importantly, Wears-Taylor enjoys a six-stroke buffer over Smith (The Address Montgomerie) heading into Tuesday’s final round after the newly minted UAE PGA Matchplay champion signed for a one-over 73.

It means Smith has it all to do on Tuesday although the way Wears-Taylor is playing, a fourth 2017-18 UAE PGA title looks his to lose. The real excitement could yet be lower down the leaderboard as players jockey for the last spots in the UAE PGA team for the May 12-13 Dubai Trophy.

As captain, Smith has two picks in his 14-man team for the matches at Emirates G.C. and Dubai Creek where the pros will be out to avoid a hat-trick of losses to the Emirates Golf Federation’s leading amateurs.

With defending OOM champion Cen Mills (Dubai Creek), currently third in this season’s points race, unavailable, there are spots up for grabs and Creek colleague Woods (17th) and the Monty’s Martin Robinson (18th) are well positioned after the first round to make a last gasp bid. Robinson was T-10 overnight after an opening 74.

Meanwhile, Jumeirah Golf Estates hosts the 36-hole EGF OOM Championship on May 4-5 to finalise the amateur team for the Dubai Trophy. One name guaranteed for the youngsters is JGE 14-year-old Josh Hill who has won seven EGF titles this summer, including six in an incredible three month spell.

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Making the most of his home club knowledge and some sublime ball striking on the Ajman layout’s par 5s, Wears-Taylor added a three-under 69 to his opening 70 to finish the UAE PGA Championship on five-under 139, three shots clear of Arabian Ranches’ Malcolm Young.

Tom Buchanan (Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club) produced a closing 71, one of just four sub-par rounds (from a possible 46) over the two days, to finish solo third on 146.

Defending UAE PGA champion Steven Munro needed to finish fourth to overhaul Mills (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club) in the order of merit race where a player’s top-10 results across the season counted towards the final points standings. He was well placed in a share of fourth overnight following an opening 74 but the Abu Dhabi-based UAE PGA chief executive signed for 77 Tuesday to finish tied sixth, confirming Mills, on leave back in the UK, as the 2016-17 champion. Wears-Taylor climbed to third place overall behind Munro after capturing his fourth title in a mainly topsy, topsy-turvy campaign.

For the second day running, Wears-Taylor started his round with a bogey on Al Zorah’s par 4 1^st before settling his nerves with back-to-back pars on the far more menacing, water-guarded 2^nd and 3^rd holes.

The 20-year-old South African, a year through his PGA apprenticeship, then got into gear when he drained a long putt for eagle on the par 5 4^th before birdieing the 6^th, another par 5, to make the turn at -2.

Young remained his closest challenger throughout but the lanky South African’s length again paid dividends on a par 5 when he stuck a six iron to four feet on the 11^th and duly rolled in the eagle putt.

Stefan Wears-Taylor. Photo courtesy Darren King/Al Zorah GC

Another birdie saw him dip to -5 through 12 before a double on 13 and another dropped shot on 17 hinted at a last gasp wobble. But Wears-Taylor held his nerve and birdied the last to win in style – and for the second time in as many weeks after edging Gavin Sutherland in a playoff at Trump Dubai.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet but it’s a nice way to finish a weird season,” said Wears-Taylor.

“I started well [winning October’s Patrons Pro Am at DCGYC and at The Track, Meydan Golf the following month], in the middle I lost my way as my mind ran away a little bit thinking about what I could achieve, and then I’ve ended brilliantly. It’s the perfect way to finish before summer.”

Young kept it classy after a second successive near-run thing in a tournament he won in 2012.

“Always a great two days to end the tournament season in the UAE and my favourite event of the season. Sadly the bridesmaid poition for the second year running but delighted to finish runner-up to a very worthy winner in Stefan Wears-Taylor…great scoring today on the par 5s and impressive total -5 for the event,” Young said.

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Wears-Taylor looped the Troon Golf-managed, Nicklaus Design in Ajman in two-under 70 Monday, two strokes clear of Arabian Ranches’ Malcolm Young on a day when only two of the 23 starters could match or better par. Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club’s Shane Peacock was solo third on 73.

Munro, the UAE PGA’s Abu-Dhabi-based chief executive, started his title defence with a 74, a +2 score matched by Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Matthew Allanson.

It left Munro, who won the UAE PGA Matchplay title at Trump Dubai last week, in pole-position to capture the association’s season-long OOM race with leader Cennydd Mills (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club) holidaying back in the UK and powerless in the final say.

Munro needs to finish fourth or better to overhaul Mills while JGE’s big-hitting Gavin Sutherland, who opened with a 75 for a share of sixth place, can overhaul Munro for second place on the OOM but only with victory and a dramatic reverse from Munro.

“I should have scored better but struggled to hole any putts of any significance today,” said Munro who mixed birdies on 4 and 6 with bogeys on the 2nd, 9th,14th and 15^th.

“I had lots of pars but I had a couple of disappointing late bogeys on 14 and 15 and then missed three really good opportunities on last three holes for birdies.

“Realistically I need to shoot no worse than par tomorrow to have a strong chance of winning the OOM. The course is fantastic and a good score is possible for sure.”

Munro predicts he’ll need at least a 68 Tuesday for a shot at repeat titles: “My aim is to still to retain the PGA Champs trophy tomorrow obviously”. But while he still has designs on a perfect finish to the OOM race, Wears-Taylor will take some beating if his recent form is any indication.

The tall 20-year-old South African, a pro shop assistant and trainee PGA Professional at Al Zorah, won his third event of the UAE PGA season at Trump Dubai late last month in a playoff over Sutherland and clearly knows how to navigate Al Zorah. It promises a fitting finale to the OOM race where a players top-10 placings count towards the points championship.

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