By Friday, Thomas was celebrating back-to-back Omega Emirates Amateur Open titles in Dubai and the MENA Tour trailblazer did it in some style too, five strokes his final margin of victory over Zubair Firdaus (Golf Australia, 74-70 – 144) and Steven Kelbrick (69-75 -144). Kelbrick’s new Trump International Golf Club Dubai club-mate Josh Hill (72-73) was fourth on 145.

Emirates Golf Club is a home away from home for Thomas and the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member showed why in the 36-hole Emirates Golf Federation order-of-merit event, backing up an opening round of 71 on the Faldo course with a 68 on the Majlis for a 139 aggregate.

? Congratulations @RayhanThomas who has won the OMEGA Emirates Amateur Open 2019 at @EmiratesGC. The two day event saw Thomas score 71 on the Faldo Course and 68 on the Majlis Course to finish -5 and take the title for a second consecutive year! ? pic.twitter.com/X8O7CgcAxp

— OMEGA Golf Dubai (@OMEGAGolfDubai) January 11, 2019

The win was made all the more sweet as Thomas had his father John caddying for him.

“It was great carrying his bag today – it’s been a while but I enjoyed it,” John said. “[Rayhan’s] Games in good shape. Always room for improvement – hopefully will be ready for a classic act.”

The four-under loop of the Majlis was indeed timely as it was on the same layout where Thomas will look to repeat his Omega Dubai Desert Classic heroics of 2017 in the 30th anniversary edition of the European Tour event from Jan. 24-27.

The Oklahoma State University-bound amateur, who made the cut in the European Tour event two years ago, is set for a mouth-watering amateur showdown on the Majlis with Jovan Rebula, the nephew of three time Desert Classic winner and four-time major champion Ernie Els.

RELATED: Thomas to take on Ernie Els’ nephew in spicy amateur showdown at 30th Desert Classic

Rebula became the first South African since Bobby Cole in 1966 to win the British Amateur Championship last summer and went on to play The Open Championship at Carnoustie. After the Desert Classic, he’ll also tee it up in The Masters at Augusta National and the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Paul Byrne, meanwhile, won the net title at the Omega Emirates Amateur Open with a 145 aggregate, his closing net 70 on the Majlis pipping Emirates G.C. clubmate Chaher Sakkal on a countback. Pavel Foubik Jnr was third on 148.

Rayhan Thomas at his home Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)

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Dubai-based teen Zubair Firdaus has just scored a 12-month residential scholarship to the Hills Academy in Queensland, Australia on the back of his recent victory at the AmBank International Junior Golf Championship in Malaysia.

The 14-year-old is an elite junior squad member at the European Tour Performance Institute (EPTI) and is reaping the benefits of 18-months hard work at the Jumeriah Golf Estates facility.

As well as topping the 13-14-year-old boys’ category in Malaysia, Firdaus carded the top gross score in the under-18s category against 120 competitors to clinch the scholarship worth more than AED 120,000 ($32,000).

Mark Gregson-Walters, Director of Instruction at the EPTI, sees a bright future for one of his star pupils. As well as the win in Malaysia, Firdaus has also captured the Emirates Junior Open, the Abu Dhabi Golf Club Junior Open and the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Junior Open in the past two months.

“At the European Tour Performance Institute, we are committed to developing and nurturing talent, particularly when it comes to the next generation of golfers. Zubair is a shining example of a local young athlete who is talented, hardworking and determined to improve his skills and compete at the highest level for his age group,” Gregson-Walters said.

“With the support of our team at the world-class ETPI facility, Zubair has excelled. We are not only proud of his achievements to date but there is genuine excitement about watching him grow, and realising his potential for future success.”

Recently voted as ‘Golf Academy of the Year’ at the 2016 Middle East Golf Awards, the EPTI is a state-of-art instructional facilities offering an unrivalled teaching and practice experience and the chance to rub shoulders with some of the game’s biggest names as Firdaus did recently meeting Open champion Henrik Stenson (pictured below on the range at JGE).

It features the latest swing analysis studios, a full gym with personal trainers, along with wellbeing services such as nutritional consultancy and sports massage.

Main image courtesy Emirates Golf Federation

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