Joy aims for glory on ‘home course’

Englishman looks to make it third time lucky after being twice denied in play-offs

With two second-place finishes in three weeks, Luke Joy is hoping victory is just around the corner when the Ascorp Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open — round 13 of the 16-stage Mena Golf Tour — tees off today.

Playing on his ‘home course’ will further add to the confidence of a player who boasts two wins on tour, despite the fact he fell agonisingly short of adding two more recently when he lost both the Dubai Creek Open and Golf Citizen Classic in play-offs.

Strong field

The 28-year-old Abu Dhabibased Englishman will be looking to put all that behind him when he joins a strong field that features 14 winners on tour, including Spain’s Carlos Balmaseda, who denied him the title last week with an eagle on the third extra hole.

“The goal is to eventually get into contention week-in-weekout and start winning golf tournaments,” he said. “I feel like I am in the zone and I have the self-belief in my game which is the key. “I am pretty familiar with conditions at Yas Links, but still you have to execute your shots and play as well as you can since the standard of golf on the Mena Tour is very high.”

Joy will be up against fellow Englishmen Zane Scotland, Lee Corfield and Andrew Marshall, who are all multiple winners on tour, as well as Balmaseda who will be looking to make it two in a row. With two wins in three weeks, including one on the Spanish Pro tour, Balmaseda can expect another good result if he continues this form.