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13-year-old golfer impresses in front of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood

By T.J. Auclair
Published on
13-year-old golfer impresses in front of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood

One of the fun features of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is its "Beat the Pro" challenge, where a fan -- during the actual tournament -- gets to hit a shot from the same spot as the pros.
 
In Thursday's first round, the trio of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood -- with easily the largest gallery on the course -- reached the 15th tee, a par 3 of 177 yards.
 
That's where 13-year-old Oscar Murphy was waiting. 
 
As if the crowd wasn't daunting enough, Murphy -- from Northern Ireland -- was now face to face with his hero, McIlroy, who the teen began following at the 2011 PGA Championship.
 
If there were nerves, Murphy did one heck of a job masking them.
 
With great poise, Murphy -- a 6 handicap -- took his 3-wood and with a graceful swing, managed to hit a perfect shot up onto the green:
 
 
Naturally, Fleetwood and McIlroy were both impressed.
 
 
For his part, Murphy is a seasoned pro when it comes to the press: