Young amateur golfers often lean on their family when making their way into tournament golf, but for Oscar Craig he's got a bit of an advantage as he could use his stepdad Tommy Fleetwood on his bag in Abu Dhabi.
The 17-year-old is teeing it up in the UAE Challenge in his Challenge Tour debut at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, and he's got none other than the World No.11 to help him out.
And the move paid off initially with Craig shooting an excellent first-round 69, three under par, to sit in T13 and just four shots off the lead.
Dubai resident Fleetwood has been keeping a close eye on his teenage stepson's blossoming career, and the next step was to pull on the caddie's bib for Craig's Challenge Tour adventure.
Craig qualified for the UAE Challenge after winning the Ras Al Khaimah Men’s Open, taking one of the 30 spots for local professionals and amateurs available for the Emirates Golf Federation.
Craig, who has been out on the PGA Tour with Fleetwood recently, plays off a healthy +4.5 handicap and thinks having his famous stepdad on his bag will only help him.
“I feel good to be fair, but I’m dead nervous,” said Craig ahead of his first round. “It’s like excitement nerves, but I’ve got Tommy on the bag this week, which kind of helps the nerves a bit.
“I’ve been travelling with him a little bit, going on Tour and stuff, so I’ve kind of learned what the vibe is. I’m just going to try and get on with it and play the golf I know I can.
“Obviously it helps experience-wise as he knows what he is doing.
“It also helps calm me down because he’s been through it all before. What he’s telling me I need to do to calm down, not even calm down, just manage my nerves in the right way, is really cool. That’s very beneficial."
Fleetwood himself was a Challenge Tour graduate before going on to win seven times on the DP World Tour, and Craig hopes to follow a similar path.
“I hope so, I do hope so!” Craig added.
“I’m working as hard as I can, so we’ll see where that takes me. It’s obviously a dream, even playing this week is such a dream.
“I couldn’t get to sleep Sunday night before tournament week, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to get going. I’m going to make the most of it and embrace it.”
