17-year-old amateur, Oscar Craig, battled some late-round nerves to make the cut on his Challenge Tour debut alongside his caddie for the week, World No. 11 Tommy Fleetwood.
Craig, who is the stepson of Fleetwood, opened with an impressive bogey-free 69 and was able to withstand a shaky back nine to become the only amateur into the weekend's action at the UAE Challenge.
A second-round one-over-par 73 featured two birdies and four bogeys, with Craig ending the day in a tie for 42nd.
“(Emotions) were all over the place to be honest, I was pretty nervous,” said Craig after the round. “Coming down the last hole, realising I needed to make par to be safe, I was just like 'let's do it' and I ended up making birdie. I was so happy.
“I'm feeling really relieved, but really, really happy, it's a dream come true. At the start of the week, I wanted to make the cut, but I just wanted to make sure that I tried my best on every single golf shot that I hit.
“I enjoyed the experience as well. It's the first time I've played on the Challenge Tour and in any professional event.”
Having started his round positively with a birdie on the second hole, Craig made bogey on the fourth before capitalising on the par-5 ninth to make his second birdie of the round.
Oscar you earned your way into your first @Challenge_Tour event with your hard work and talent! So proud to witness you make the cut against this quality field. Golf is great!!! https://t.co/Cs2bXIYRwT pic.twitter.com/IfUeowzfn1April 26, 2024
The teenager carded three bogeys on the back nine - at 11, 16 and 17 - but ended with a flourish, chipping superbly from the greenside rough to within tap-in range before knocking in for his par and an embrace with Fleetwood.
Posting on social media, the seven-time DP World Tour winner shared his pride at his stepson's achievements, with Craig admitting his experience had been of great assistance throughout the first two rounds.
“He's been an unreal caddie, to be fair," he added. "Just keeping my head straight, on the front nine today I was close to losing my head. We agreed on every single golf shot and talked about it to make sure it was the right one to hit so very happy.”
