Brandon Robinson-Thompson is ranked 227th in the world. He’s won twice on the HotelPlanner Tour and finished a career-best 51st in last year’s final Race to Dubai standings.
And yet, the 33-year-old Englishman found himself in a unique situation Friday in Dubai.
“Strange,” Robinson-Thompson told reporters after serving as a competitive marker for the second round of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational.
Robinson-Thompson began the week as the second alternate in the 60-man, pro-am-style event. But after Richard Manswell withdrew during Thursday’s first round, Robinson-Thompson was called in to pair with one of the amateurs, according to the DPWT.
Despite not getting into the tournament, Robinson-Thompson had been onsite practicing in preparation for next week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
“Any chance I get to come out and test my game is an opportunity just to see where I’m at,” he said. “It’s a really great golf course, tricky conditions today. But yeah, first one of the year, just to see where we are at and almost like a little warm up for next week. … I was here anyway. I was going to be practicing onsite, but to get out on the golf course and hit some shots is a real bonus.”
With another amateur withdrawing Friday, though, Robinson-Thompson will head back to the range for Saturday’s third round and final day of the pro-am portion.