JORDAN Smith will have the chance to make an early impression on 2016 European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn after being paired with the Dane for the first two rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship this week.
Smith, who turned in an impressive performance to finish third in only his fifth European Tour event at the SA Open last weekend, will be part of a threeball with Bjorn and Scot Stephan Gallacher - a member of Europe's winning team at Gleneagles in 2014 - in the United Arab Emirates.
Derry Hill player Smith, a member of the Bowood club, played the final round in South Africa alongside world number two Rory McIlroy and eventual winner Graeme Storm in South Africa.
Smith's performance helped him break into the world's top 100 and he will now contest tournaments in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai as part of the European Tour's Middle East swing.
Bjorn will captain Europe at the Ryder Cup in France in 2016, taking on the USA led by Jim Furyk.
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