The UAE Golf Federation has officially named the international golfing figure Adrian Otaegui as a professional golfer representing the UAE on all professional international tours starting this December when Otaegui participates in the Nedbank Challenge that takes place in South Africa from December 5–8.
The announcement came during the Tuesday morning press conference at the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee in Dubai.
Otaegui, indeed, is a talented young golfer in the world on whom people have big expectations, particularly in the event of professionals, as he has achieved some pinnacle wins even starting out as an amateur. He was victorious at the young age of 16 when he won the British Boys Championship in 2010 and the Spanish Amateur Champions in 2008, 2010, and 2011. Even when he was just an aspiring golfer, he also won the Paris Open Professional Championship in 2010.
In 2011 at 19 years of age, he debuted in the European Tour and became a winner in five tournaments within the DP World Tour. Among them are the Paul Lawrie Match Play held in Germany in 2017, Belgian Knockout in 2018, Scottish Championship in 2020 and Andalucía Valderrama Masters in 2022 and Volvo China Open in 2024.
Having lived in the UAE for 13 years, Otaegui was also made an ambassador for the UAE’s national team and the UAE Golf Federation. He works with the Federation to offer training and technical help to players.
In addition, he is an associate in the MAiN UAE Golfers of Determination Programme, which was unveiled as part of the DP World Tour Championship in November 2021.
“The UAE is my home. I adore its people and how it has transformed itself in the last 50 years and become one of the most progressive countries in the world. I want to make UAE proud and win the Olympic medal and we the flag on the podium,” he explained.
“Simultaneously, I know many progressive young Emirati golfers are out there who require a role model to inspire the development of their skills and the refinement of their game. I’m certainly looking forward to help building golf in the UAE and support the UAE Golf Federation in designing and building world-class programs for future stars.”
Major General Pilot (Ret) Abdullah Al Hashimi, Vice-President of the Golf Federation, Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General Golf Federation, and Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director, National Olympic Committee were also present at the Tuesday’s press conference.
“This is a glorious globalization not only for Adrian but also for golf in the UAE. We will carry on improving and marketing this game to the best professional levels,” stated Abdullah Al Hashimi.
“The development of the sport in the UAE and especially on the world stage will receive strong support from the ambassador of Emirati golf, Adrian. May the best of luck accompany Adrian, his family, and his team as they continue to implement their very ambitious plans.”
“Adrian has been the ambassador of Emirati golf for quite some time, and with his character on and off the field is the type of character we would like to see across all the players. We would like to wish Adrian, his family and his team the best of luck and we look forward to more such achievements in the near future.