BALLARDS Gore golfer Connor Bentley has landed the trip of a lifetime to play in Dubai.

The five-handicapper battled several rounds of qualifying before netting his place in the grand final of the Matchplay Championship.

Bentley bagged his place after winning the North Regional qualifier with 34 stableford points at the Forest of Arden course.

Bentley follows in the footsteps of Thomas Bjorn, Robert Allenby, ex-Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and Open Champion Darren Clarke as winners at the championship venue.

“I’m over the moon! This is an unbelievable opportunity and I’m excited to be flying out to Dubai next month,” commented Bentley.

“I played great and I’m looking forward to competing in the grand final. Hopefully I’ll be returning home as the national champion!”

Bentley will compete over three rounds at the world-renowned Els Club in next month’s grand final, as he enjoys a week-long trip.

“We’ve got a great bunch of qualifiers from all sorts of backgrounds and handicaps,” said tournament director John Woosey.

“The Grand Final in Dubai awaits where Connor will get the opportunity to be treated like a tour pro for the week.

“We’re excited to see how the rest the tournament pans out for him and how he copes with the pressure of playing in front of the TV cameras.”

The Matchplay Championship, which is now in its ninth year, will take more golfers out to the grand final than ever before after the tournament introduced a men’s singles event for the first time.

The new event runs alongside the more established men’s pairs and mixed pairs competitions, which decide the 40 golfers that will tee it up in Dubai next month for the right to be named champions.