& # 039; I asked him for a game over the last eight & # 039; – Teenager Hill gets better from Koepka in practice
Hill & # 39; s European Tour debut starts on Thursday
England & # 39; s teen golf sensation Josh Hill can boast a victory – at least – over world number one Brooks Koepka while heading for the biggest fourteen days of his young career.
The 15-year-old, who became the youngest winner of an official world championship last October, is preparing to make his European Tour debut in this week's HSBC championship.
And he warmed up for the tournament, which starts on Thursday, by playing a practice round with Koepka.
They played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and the American Ryder Cup star was impressed by the Dubai-based youngster.
"I know that if I had been in his situation I would have been just as nervous as hell," the best player in the world told BBC Sport.
"I was impressed by him, I was really – his attitude, the way he deals with things, the questions he asked. He is a good player and if he keeps on progressing like he already
"Whatever his goals are, hopefully he achieves them," Koepka added.
& I asked him for a bit of competition and, yes, I hit him & # 39;
The practice round was organized because Koepka is coached by Claude Harmon, who is affiliated with the Dubai training center used by Hill.
The teenage amateur, who made a final round 62 in October to win the Al Ain Open took the opportunity.
"It was a great experience to play with him, clearly the best player in the world," Hill told. me.
"Learning from him and watching him hit the ball was a great experience and hope apparently I can take some of that learning curve to this week.
"I asked him for a small match over the last eight holes and, yes, I beat him. It is clear that we were not completely full, but it is always nice to say that you have defeated number one. "
Hill, who was born in Surrey, divides his time between Dubai and Devon and is currently being taught online to prepare for his GCSE & # 39; s in June.
But golf is his top priority for the next two weeks because his growing reputation has earned him here in Abu Dhabi and next week's Dubai Desert Classic.
He is delighted that he has spent time on the course with & # 39; the world's best player.
"First of all, I was obviously nervous, but he's such a nice guy, there's nothing to be nervous about," Hill said.
"I asked him how he practices all week to get advice on that. I thought he would do a lot more random things, but he said he just hits the ball and that's how you get better, so it was pretty interesting. "
Playing together with the elite of the European Tour will be an important step forward from the Middle East-based Mena Tour, where the younger has fought.
But Hill refuses to limit his ambitions for the coming weeks.
"You can't aim low, you can't aim just to make the cut," he said. "You have to aim high.
" I mean a top 10 would be nice but to be honest, i just have to go outside to play golf and see where that leaves me. "