Callum Shinkwin Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

DP World Tour: Callum Shinkwin in cruise control to claim Wales Cazoo Open title at Celtic Manor

Matt Smith — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 06:25:36 +0000

By Matt Smith
After three days of nip-and-tuck, Callum Shinkwin ran away with the Wales Cazoo Open as the Englishman cruised to a four-shot victory at The Celtic Manor Resort.

The 29-year-old held a one-stroke advantage over Frenchman Julien Guerrier heading into the final round and, while he did relinquish the outright lead early on after a bogey at the third hole, he soon extended his lead and ruthlessly hammered home a dominant victory.

Three successive birdies from the fourth and another at the ninth meant he was five clear at the turn on the Twenty Ten Course and Shinkwin never relented, while Guerrier fell back as the Frenchman struggled on the final day.

A couple of birdies on the way home earned Shinkwin a one under final round 70 and a 12 under par winning total.

Connor Syme had mounted a late charge with an eagle at the part five 11th followed by a trio of consecutive birdies from the 15th hole, but it was not enough to put serious pressure on the runaway leader and the Scot settled for a runner-up finish on eight under par, signing for a closing 68.

Callum Shinkwin was the only player in the field to shoot all four rounds under par ?#CazooOpen pic.twitter.com/9syyLc35FM

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 7, 2022

“I feel great, even though I had a few shots of a lead heading into the back nine it’s still not easy, especially when Connor then made a charge,” Shinkwin said. “There was a lot of pressure still and even down the last, it’s not an easy hole, a lot of people have made a high number there even if they’ve hit the fairway. It’s still one of those ones you have to commit to with your shots.

“Connor didn’t really come into it until he eagled 11, he was four under at the time, then he didn’t do anything straight after that. But then he birdied 15, 16 and 17 and the 17th was the big one for me, holing that par putt to guarantee a three-shot lead going down the last.

“The scores haven’t been there before this but this week was my week. Winning anywhere is fantastic, it’s a great feeling, winning with family and friends here it means so much more.”

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DP World Tour: Shinkwin and Guerrier set for Wales Cazoo Open showdown at Celtic Manor

Matt Smith — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 07:55:56 +0000

By Matt Smith
Callum Shinkwin and Julien Guerrier will battle it out for the title at the Wales Cazoo Open after an enthralling Day 3 duel at The Celtic Manor Resort saw them both pull well clear of the field, with Shinkwin holding a one-stroke advantage over his French playing partner.

The duo traded blows throughout the day, with Guerrier leading for the early exchanges having entered the weekend two clear, but four birdies on the back nine nudged Shinkwin one shot ahead on 11-under, the Englishman carding the joint lowest round of the week with a six under 65.

Guerrier certainly did not give the lead away, having opened with a birdie and picked up two more before the turn, but his first bogey of the round at the 16th meant he surrendered his place at the top for the first time all day.
A third-round 68, however, left him right in the mix for a maiden DP World Tour title, especially as he sits five clear of third place going into the final day.

Connor Syme was the closest challenger on six under after the Scot picked up three shots in the final four holes to sign for a 68 and move to a five under total, six shots off Shinkwin’s lead.
“I’m delighted, 65 was a really good score today,” said Shinkwin. “I’m playing really well and didn’t make any mistakes and I’ve come out of it with the lead.

“The game has been very good for a long time but it was just a matter of clicking into place. It felt like it was great three months ago but the results weren’t there. Recently I’ve been playing really nicely and had a few pretty good results but not capitalising on how I’m playing.

“I never really paid any attention to what Julien was doing, although he was playing really well, I just tried to make sure I played my own ball and my own game, and whatever I shot I shot and that’s what I did and towards the end I took the lead.”

Guerrier added: “I’m pretty happy, to play under par on this course is always a good thing. Of course it felt a little like a match play, but my main goal was to remain focused on my game. If Callum is playing well that’s not my concern, really good for him of course, but I tried to remain focused on my game and stay in the zone. It’s a long road so we will see what happens tomorrow.”

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DP World Tour: English players flying flag at Soudal Open in Belgium

Matt Smith — Fri, 13 May 2022 05:19:33 +0000

Dale Whitnell. DP World Tour

By Matt Smith
It was an English march at the Soudal Open in Belgium as Dale Whitnell, Sam Horsfield and Callum Shinkwin led the way after the first round.

They each fired opening 65s at Rinkven International Golf Club on Thursday morning, and with no-one able to catch them in the afternoon, they head into the second round one clear of the chasing pack.

It had looked as though Whitnell might prove impossible to catch on day one, after he notched nine birdies in his opening 16 holes, before a double bogey-bogey finish meant he had to settle for a 65.

Yannik Paul, Jeff Winther, Alexander Björk, Adrian Meronk and Spaniards Alvaro Quiros and Nacho Elvira finished day one in a tie for fourth on five-under.

A pair of amateurs were in the mix, too, with Charles Roeland firing a 69 and 14-year-old debutant Lev Grinberg shooting a 70 on his home course, while home favourite Thomas Pieters also opened with a 69.

“I played really nicely,” said Horsfield. “I kept the ball in play, this is a golf course where positioning is quite important off the tee and I was able to position it nicely to give myself a lot of good looks, and rolled in a few.

Whitnell added: “You can only take the positives really. I have been sort of feeling like the game has been getting there, I have struggled the last six weeks or so with a bit of form and swing changes, it has not been quite where I have wanted it to be, but the first 16 holes was flawless.

“I am making a few changes with Craig Lockwood, my coach, but it’s minimal and nothing massive. I missed the cut the last three weeks by three shots, two shots, one shot, and I was six-over par for 21 holes at The Belfry and got back to one-over, almost made the cut. I am trying to focus on the process rather than the outcome.”

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English duo birdie eight of nine holes to win Hero Challenge in Ras Al Khaimah

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 04:15:13 +0000

RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE: Daniel Gavins and Callum Shinkwin claimed the Hero Challenge title at Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah after the English duo teamed up to card eight birdies in the nine-hole Texas Scramble event for a winning eight-under total.

The innovative team event was broadcast on television around the globe as well as on YouTube and social media, where fans could watch the stars of the DP World Tour in a more relaxed atmosphere – chatting regularly to on-course commentators and with some players miked up throughout their round.

“It feels fantastic, it was great fun today,” said Shinkwin. “I’m glad that the Tour and Hero put this up for us today because we’re here for two weeks, it was great fun to play and obviously Dan is a good friend of mine, so it was great. One of our caddies said ten under was going to win but thankfully he was wrong!”

In a classic better-ball scramble format, birdies were key and Gavins and Shinkwin looked unstoppable from the word go, birdieing every one of the first seven holes to storm into the lead. A par at the eighth briefly stunted their progress but a four at the par-5 18th hole laid down the gauntlet early on.

Many teams tried, but none could get within touching distance of the Englishmen, who earned a two-stroke victory over the field with an eight-under score of 28.

Second place was shared by nine teams on six under par, including that of winning 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn and his team-mate James Morrison, and in-form Englishman Richard Bland who teamed up with former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson to card four birdies and an eagle two.

“It was good fun,” said Bland. “When we’re here for two weeks it’s nice to have a little bit of fun in between the two tournaments and to play with Ollie is always a pleasure. It was good fun.”

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These are the rising stars you should be watching on the European Tour in 2021

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 13:46:28 +0000

Rasmus Hojgaard, just 19, was one of 10 players to win their first European Tour titles in 2020 after play resumed this summer. BEN STANSALL

By John Huggan
In the wake of a four-month COVID-19 lockdown and the subsequent resumption of the 2020 season, the reshaped European Tour—diminished financially and thinner on top in terms of field strength—actually came to represent lands of opportunity for some. Many top-ranked players from Europe chose instead to ride things out in the United States and play on the PGA Tour, providing less familiar names with multiple chances to flourish on the Old World circuit.

“The last few months have been a time for a lot of guys to break through, or re-establish themselves,” says former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn. “The outside pressures have largely been removed. With no crowds present, everyone is just playing golf. And no one has been paying much attention to those who have played poorly. So things have become a lot freer. It’s been easier to play without some of the mental obstacles that normally lead to discomfort, especially during final rounds. But that sort of environment has been non-existent on tour this year.”

And many have taken advantage. Following a return to action at the Austrian Open in July, 10 players have recorded maiden victories: Joel Stalter, Sam Horsfield, Romain Langasque, Rasmus Hojgaard, John Catlin, Garrick Higgo, Callum Shinkwin, Robert MacIntyre, JB Hansen and Antoine Rozner. Meanwhile, three actually went on to repeat that feat.

Redemption, although not quite so prevalent, also found its place. Three men—Andy Sullivan, Marc Warren and Ross McGowan—have all returned to the winner’s circle after long absences.

So, who most notably emerged to seize the moment? Here’s a brief look at the most promising golfers among the lot.

Andrew Redington

Rasmus Hojgaard
World Ranking March 15: 184
World Ranking Dec. 7: 82

Bjorn is not surprisingly a big believer in his fellow Dane. “Rasmus has all the tools,” Bjorn says. “There is no weakness in his game, and he has a great attitude. He works hard and believes in himself. He asks the right questions. Things still have to break your way and things have to happen the right way for anyone to get right to the top. But nothing is holding him back. He has a remarkable talent, as him winning two of his first 19 events clearly shows.”

The first of Hojgaard’s wins came in December last year, at the relatively low-key Mauritius Open. But his second win at The Belfry in the U.K. Championship was more impressive, coming as it did at the at the end of a four-week run in which the 19-year-old finished second at the British Masters, T-6 at the Hero Open, and third at the English Championship.

REWIND: Golf Digest Middle East’s 2014 conversation with the ‘voice of golf’

• • •

Warren Little

Robert MacIntyre
World Ranking March 15: 67
World Ranking Dec. 7: 59

“Rookie of the year” on the European Tour in 2019 after a string of fine performances that included a T-6 finish in his Open Championship debut at Portrush, Macintyre’s breakthrough at the Cyprus Showdown is perhaps the least surprising in this group of emerging talents.

“I’ve watched Bob a lot over the past couple of years,” says fellow Scot and 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie. “His rise has been quick and steady. He seems like a lovely lad. I can see him winning more. He clearly has a good attitude, temperament and way about him. And he has the game. How high he goes remains to be seen. But judging by the World Rankings (MacIntyre is the highest-ranked Caledonian at 61st), he looks like Scotland’s best chance to have a Ryder Cup player next year.”

• • •

Antoine Rozner
World Ranking March 15: 202
World Ranking Dec. 7: 123

The climax to what had been an unobtrusively impressive season came late, with a victory in the first Golf in Dubai Championship. Twice a winner and eighth on the 2019 Challenge Tour money list, Rozner had accumulated as many as five top-10 finishes—including a playoff loss at the Mauritius Open—in 19 starts before his breakthrough victory. Only twice had he missed the cut. And the final-round 64 with which he clinched that win was the 27-year old Frenchman’s 19th round in succession at par or better.

Those numbers are impressive enough. But there’s more. In his rookie season on the European Tour, Rozner ranks inside the top 15 in both driving distance and greens in regulation. And only two men—Ryder Cup players Andy Sullivan and Tommy Fleetwood—have a stroke average lower than his 69.72. Given his present rate of progress, Rozner could become only the fourth Frenchman to take his place in the biennial contest with the United States.

• • •

Richard Heathcote

Sam Horsfield
World Ranking March 15: 222
World Ranking Dec. 7: 99

The 24-year old Florida-based Englishman (his family moved stateside when Horsfield was just a child) might not be the most consistent player on the European Tour, but when he gets a sniff of victory he tends to take it. Twice in two weeks back in August he did just that, first at the Hero Open, then at the Celtic Classic. None of which will have come as a surprise to Ian Poulter or Terry Mundy. The six-time Ryder Cup player is a long-time mentor of his younger compatriot and Mundy—Poulter’s caddie—is Horsfield’s co-manager.

“He’s the best young player I’ve ever played with,” said Poulter when a 14-year old Horsfield first beat him over nine holes. A decade or so later, it’s safe to say that assessment is proving more than prescient.

• • •

Warren Little

John Catlin
World Ranking March 15: 211
World Ranking Dec. 7: 96

Most weeks, there aren’t many Americans on the European Tour. But Catlin has long proved that a lack of familiar accents is no barrier to success around the globe. Four times the 29-year-old former University of New Mexico student won on the Asian Tour. And now he has half as many wins in Europe to add to his burgeoning resume.

“My goal at the start of 2019 was to win on the European Tour, so to have accomplished that is hard to put into words,” was Caitlin’s verdict after seeing off two-time major champion Martin Kaymer to win the Andalucian Masters at what is surely the most difficult course on the circuit, Valderrama.

And only three weeks later, Catlin was back, this time at the Irish Open, where he came from behind to pip soon-to-be Scottish Open champion Aaron Rai to lift one of golf’s most historic titles.

• • •

Ross Kinnaird

Callum Shinkwin
World Ranking March 15: 351
World Ranking Dec. 7: 149

In truth, Shinkwin should not be part of this list. Needing only a par 5 on the 18th hole at the Dundonald Links to win the 2017 Scottish Open, Shinkwin missed the green left with his second shot, found an unfortunate lie, then took four more shots to hole out for a bogey 6. Perhaps inevitably, he lost the playoff to Rafa Cabrera-Bello at the first extra hole.

So victory more than three years on at the Cyprus Open in November was a triumph over adversity as much as anything else. Especially as, mired in a slump, the former English Amateur champion had lost his European Tour card at the end of the 2018 season.

“That was the final kick up the backside I needed,” he said in the wake of his playoff victory over Finland’s Kalle Samooja. “And you can say I got what I deserved back in 2017. But it makes this all the sweeter.”

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This European Tour pro who reached a 569-yard par 5 with a pair of 2-irons is an absolute savage

Golf Digest Middle East — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 20:15:07 +0000

By Alex Myers
Callum Shinkwin turned heads—and embarrassed Eddie Pepperell—with a two-driver setup in his bag on Thursday. But on Friday, another European Tour pro put on an even more impressive display of power with a pair of two-irons during the second round of the South African Open.

The casual golf fan may not know much about Dean Burmester, but it will only take the following clip to know the 31-year-old South African is an absolute savage. After laying up(?) off the tee with a 2-iron on the 569-yard, par-5 11th at Gary Player Country Club, Burmy belted another trusty 2-iron to near gimme range to set up one of the most unusual eagles you’ll ever see. Check it out:

2 iron + 2 iron = 569 yards@BurmyGolf eagles the 11th.#SAOpen pic.twitter.com/iDKd2QjE5F

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 4, 2020

Two irons. Five hundred and sixty-nine yards. Granted, it was two 2-irons, but still. We’re guessing that’s not what Gary Player envisioned when he designed that long par 5.

Of course, this will likely cause the latest cries of “THE BALL GOES TOO FAR!” from golf purists. And maybe it does, but do you know how hard it is to hit a 2-iron?! And aren’t golf purists always complaining the modern tour pro not having to hit clubs like 2-irons?

Anyway, well played, Burmy. You’re a beast.

Ed’s Note: For the record, here’s Pepperell’s tweet after Shinkwin posted a 68 int he first round of the Golf in Dubai Championship at JGE with two drivers:

He was out driving me by 30 yards with the short one and 50 yards with the long one.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) December 2, 2020

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Callum Shinkwin will never forget the incredible putt that helped him claim his first Euro Tour title

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 21:11:04 +0000

Ross Kinnaird
Callum Shinkwin poses with the trophy after his first European Tour victory at the inaugural Cyprus Open.

By John Huggan
The 54-foot putt Callum Shinkwin holed across the 18th green at Aphrodite Hills meant a lot of things to the 27-year-old Englishman. An eagle 3 on the 538-yard par 5. A back-nine of 29. A closing 63, low round of the week in the European Tour’s inaugural Cyprus Open. A total of 20 under par. And most importantly, a one-shot lead at that moment over Kalle Samooja.

The last bit didn’t last though. Samooja’s two-putt birdie on that same 18th hole gave him a second consecutive 64 and carried the 32-year-old Finn into his second European Tour playoff. At last year’s European Masters in Switzerland, he was one of four to fall (Rory McIlroy another) to eventual champion Sebastian Soderberg.

This playoff didn’t take long either. Shinkwin’s up-and-down birdie from sand behind the green was followed by three-putts from the unfortunate Samooja, his second effort from four-feet lipping out. It was, to say the last, something of an anti-climax after the drama that had gone before.

“I was as shocked as anyone,” said Shinkwin, in reference to the epic putt that eventually led to that extra hole and then to his maiden Euro Tour title. “I was 18 under par at the time and 19 was leading. So I wasn’t really thinking about winning. Holing from there was one-in-a-million really. My aim was just to get down in two, but it went in.”

From 54 feet ?

Callum Shinkwin sets the clubhouse lead at 20 under with an eagle on the 18th. #CyprusOpen pic.twitter.com/q9QBI9y2aa

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 1, 2020

Eschewing the normal protocols in such situations, Shinkwin retired to the clubhouse restaurant rather than the range to await his fate. A number of players other than Samooja, had chances to ruin his day but all came up short. Jamie Donaldson, six years on from recording the trophy-clinching point for Europe in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, tied for third alongside a pair of left-handers, Scotland’s Robert Macintyre and South Africa’s Garrick Higgo.

“I was starving,” said Shinkwin with a smile. “All I’d had to eat all day was a protein shake and a banana. And I guess all the adrenaline I was feeling made me even more hungry. Then again, eating is one of my favourite things to do.”

All of which was in sharp contrast to the 2017 Scottish Open and its aftermath. Needing only a par 5 on the 18th hole at the Dundonald Links, Shinkwin missed the green left with his second shot, found an unfortunate lie, then took four more shots to get his ball in the cup. In the playoff a birdie from Rafa Cabrera-Bello was enough to claim an unlikely victory. Clearly affected by that loss, Shinkwin recorded only one more top 10 that season and, by the end of 2018, had lost his card.

“I was back [for a third time] at the qualifying school, not wanting to be there,” he said. “I had only just missed my card, by three spots and only a very small amount of prize money. Looking back, I missed three cuts by one shot. And I had a lot going on at home at the time, which distracted me without me really realizing. But it all worked out as I got through OK. It was maybe just the kick up the backside I needed.”

In 2019, it was a year of further resurrection. Five top 10s were the highlights, taking the former English Amateur champion (he beat current World No. 19 Matt Fitzpatrick in the final in 2013) to 100th spot on the money list and full playing rights this season. The memory of Dundonald was fading.

“You can always say I deserved what I got back in 2017,” Shinkwin said. “It happens if you deserve it. But this time was so different. To win when I wasn’t actually expecting to do so is amazing. My form has been up and down all year, too. Although I played well in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. For a while anyway. I was one shot off the lead playing the last hole in the third round and made triple. So my form was there.”

The biggest difference has come on the greens, long an issue for the 2013 Walker Cup player. But armed with a new caddie, friend and former teammate in the English amateur squad, Sam Robertshawe, another corner has been turned.

Ross Kinnaird
Shinkwin celebrates with his caddie, Sam Robertshawe, on the first playoff hole after capturing the Cyprus Open title.

“I’ve been out here since 2016, and in the time I’ve only had three caddies,” said Shinkwin, who earned €160,650 for the win. “The first two were very experienced, which was great. But after a while it became clear I needed someone to help me with the thing I needed to work on, which was holing more putts. Sam has always been a decent putter. And when he stopped playing at the end of last year I offered him the job. His ability to read greens has shown me that I can do the same. He’s made me so much more confident.”

And, more than three years on from the biggest disappointment of his life, a winner on the European Tour.

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The Open 2019: MacIntyre, six back at Royal Portrush, making all the right noises in major debut

Kent Gray — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 03:29:02 +0000

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

By Kent Gray
After a memorable opening 68, Robert MacIntyre was in the headlines at The Open again on Friday, this time for calling out two-time PGA Tour winner Kyle Stanley for not yelling fore on the penultimate hole of the second round at Royal Portrush.

It will be a shame if the fallout from the perceived lack of etiquette clouds MacIntyre’s play after a second-round 72 saw the Scotsman comfortably advance to the weekend in his major championship debut.

The 22-year-old lefty was one of only two players with MENA Tour links to survive the 36-hole cut which fell at +1. American J.B. Holmes shares the overnight lead with Irish Open and reigning Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship titleholder Shane Lowry at -8 –- six strokes ahead of MacIntyre. With rounds of 70-71, Englishman Callum Shinkwin, the winner of the MENA Tour’s 2019 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Shootout, starts the weekend at -1.

MacIntyre was unimpressed with how Stanley failed to shout fore after watching the American’s wayward tee shot on the 17th hit the mother of the Scotsman’s caddy, Greg Milne.

“Every golfer, from amateur to professional, knows what to shout. It’s pretty disappointing,” MacIntyre told the BBC.

“I told him I didn’t like what he was doing and asked him to please shout fore over the weekend. He didn’t really accept that, but I stood up for the etiquette of the game.”

MacIntyre couldn’t get his putter going on Friday in his one-over 72 but the European Tour rookie is just happy to have a shot at the claret jug.

“It’s been a success so far, just to make the cut,” said MacIntyre who started the week 21st in the Race to Dubai standings and a shoo-in to tee it up at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November.

“Tee to green I was patient and stuck to my guns. I feel my game is there to be challenging. The scores haven’t gone away, so a good run tomorrow and I’m right back in it.”

Meanwhile, a gritty Friday 68 – 10 shots better than his opening round – wasn’t quite enough to get MENA Tour Order-of-Merit (OOM) leader Matthew Baldwin into the weekend. The 33-year-old Englishman spoke with the MENA Tour’s Joy Chakravarty after finishing +4, three shots outside the cut.

Rory started Thursday with a quad bogey, @mattbaldwin26 with a triple.
Rory ended Rd1 with a triple, Matt with a double.
Rory finished today +2 after being +8. Matt finished +4 after being +9.
Unfortunately, both missed @theopen cut despite their brave efforts. pic.twitter.com/scpCm11eHc

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) July 19, 2019

What a shame that one shot has cost me a good Open Championship but what an experience to play! Lots of things to learn from and today I proved that with the right attitude I can achieve my dreams!! Onwards and upwards…. again ??‍

— Matthew Baldwin (@mattbaldwin26) July 19, 2019

Curtis Knipes, the MENA Tour amateur OOM leader, had his heart set on the silver medal for low amateur honours after an opening 72. But a Friday 79 saw him miss the cut on +9.

Indeed, the silver medal won’t be awarded at Royal Portrush as none of the six amateurs made the cut; Japan’s Takumi and new British Amateur champion James Sugrue were the best at +2.

The dream run of our Amateur Leader Curtis Knipes has come to an end at @TheOpen. He cant’s recover from a horror triple bogey-bogey start and in tough conditions. But Knipes should be very proud of his achievement pic.twitter.com/I7quRQbyJ1

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) July 19, 2019

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (2017 Mahasamutr Open) finished +5 while MENA Tour patron Darren Clarke was left to rue a triple-bogey seven on the 36th hole which saw him drop to +3 and miss a fairytale weekend on his home course by two strokes.

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Five MENA Tour players, including 18-year-old amateur, to tee it up in 148th Open Championship

Kent Gray — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 04:08:33 +0000

English teen Curtis Knipes, 18, leads the MENA Tour’s amateur Journey to Jordan points race.

By Kent Gray
The MENA Tour has set itself the lofty goal of becoming the best little mini-tour in the world. With five members present and past en-route to the final major of the year, the regional developmental circuit is clearly on track.

Mid-season Order of Merit (OOM) leaders Matthew Baldwin (professional) and 18-year-old Curtis Knipes (amateur) are the latest to punch their tickets to the 148th Open Championship after advancing through final qualifying.

The Englishmen will join former MENA Tour winners Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) and Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) at Royal Portrush from July 18 after they qualified by winning the Singapore Open and courtesy of a top-20 Race to Dubai ranking respectively.

England’s Callum Shinkwin, who won the MENA Tour’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic Shootout in January and also qualified for Abu Dhabi’s European Tour stop, will also tee it up in Northern Ireland. Shinkwin and Knipes topped the Final Qualifying tournament at Prince’s in Kent while Baldwin earned one of the 12 final spots and his fifth major championship start by finishing third at St Annes Old Links.

“This is a historic moment for the MENA Tour,” said David Spencer, a strategic advisor to the Middle East circuit.

“We have set out with the objective of creating the finest development Tour in the world, and these are moments which help us rededicate ourselves to the cause with a new zeal.”

Baldwin currently leads the MENA Tour’s Journey To Jordan (OOM) by $2,530 over Frenchman Robin Roussel. The Southport 33-year-old led at St Annes Old Links with a superb seven-under par 65 opening round. He then rounded off with a two-under par 70 to finish on nine-under par, good enough for a solo third place.

Matthew Baldwin

Chelmsford teen Knipes, who enjoys a healthy lead of nearly 1,670 points over Josh Hill in the MENA Tour’s amateur Journey to Jordon race, shot 67 in the morning at Prince’s and followed it up with a 68 in the afternoon. Shinkwin started with a 70 but was brilliant in the afternoon as he returned a card of 65 to also finish -9.

Janewattananond, who won the 2017 Mahasamutr Open in his homeland, is one of the MENA Tour’s shining lights. The 23-year-old Thai is up to a giddy 52nd in the Official World Golf Rankings after securing his third and fourth Asian Tour titles this season at the Singapore and Korean Opens, the former securing his place in The Open.

The Open will be the former teen prodigy’s third major championship start. He missed the cut at last year’s Open at Carnoustie but impressed with his swashbuckling game at the PGA Championship in mid-May, rounds of 70-68-67 earning him a spot in the penultimate final round two-ball at Bethpage Black. Sadly he slid to a share of 14th following a Sunday 77 but showed the undoubted class first evidenced globally in 2010 when he became the youngest player – at 14 years and 71 days – to make a halfway cut in an Asian Tour event at the Asian Tour International.

MacIntyre qualified for this month’s 148th Open Championship courtesy of being one of the first five players in the top-20 Race to Dubai rankings who hadn’t already qualified for Royal Portrush.

The second half of the 10-event MENA Tour schedule for 2019 begins with the Journey to Jordan-2 championship at Ayla Golf Club in Aqaba, Jordan, from September 29.

The post Five MENA Tour players, including 18-year-old amateur, to tee it up in 148th Open Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Shinkwin eyes first Desert Classic cut after back-to-back qualifying wins in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Kent Gray — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 12:38:46 +0000

David Cannon/Getty Images
Callum Shinkwin en-route to victory at Dubai Hills Golf CLub in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Shootout

By Kent Gray
It seems Callum Shinkwin is slowly coming to grips with this desert golf lark.

The 25-year-old Englishman will tee it up in his third Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday after winning medalist honours in the European Tour event’s new qualifying tournament at Dubai Hills Golf Club on Monday – a week after achieving the same feat in Abu Dhabi.

Shinkwin backed up a course record 64 at Dubai’s newest course on Sunday with a 68 on Monday to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Shootout with an impressive -12 total. The Heartfordshire pro edged French Challenge Tour regular Victor Rui (67-66) by a stroke while three-time European Tour winner Marc Warren (65-69) was third on -10 to claim the final spot in the Desert Classic’s 30th anniversary edition at Emirates Golf Club.

“To qualify for tournaments is great, and even better when you win them,” said Shinkwin who is making a decent early fist of regaining his European Tour card after finishing a lowly 119th in last year’s Race to Dubai – three spots shy of retaining his playing privileges.

Our guest of honour, @WestwoodLee, hands over the invites to @OMEGAGolfDubai Desert Classic to @CallumShinkwin, @MarcWarrenGolf and Victor Riu. All the best guys!! pic.twitter.com/yH07E0uU1T

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) January 21, 2019

Shinkwin is no stranger to Middle East golf but has taken time to learn the subtleties of desert golf.

The 2013 English Amateur champion has played the past two Desert Classics and missed the cut both times. He kicked on from winning the 54-hole Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship qualifier with a T-54 placing at Abu Dhabi Golf Club last week, finishing 15 shots behind winner Shane Lowry for an €18,845 payday. But he still only has a 50 percent cuts made success rate in four starts in Abu Dhabi.

England’s @CallumShinkwin wins a second straight qualifying tournament in the Middle East to book his place at the @OMEGAGolfDubai Desert Classic alongside @MarcWarrenGolf and Victor Rui.

Report: https://t.co/ndm6ycYIS0 pic.twitter.com/EfOGMgg0f6

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) January 21, 2019

Shinkwin hopes his recent run of scoring – he signed for rounds of 71-68-73-73 in Abu Dhabi – will help him better his best score of 72 on the Majlis in last year’s second round to finally survive a weekend in Dubai.

“I have played the Omega Dubai Desert Classic a couple of times, but never did well there. I guess it was at the start of the season and I was not that prepared. But I have now played plenty of golf already and I am hoping to do much better this time around,” he said.

And this is what @CallumShinkwin had to say after winning the medalist honour at the @OMEGAGolfDubai Desert Classic Shootout at @DubaiHillsGolf today. pic.twitter.com/PZxByhepvq

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) January 21, 2019

Warren finished 130th in last year’s Race to Dubai, missing the cut on both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. But the 37-year-old Scot has smooth swing and a proven pedigree to take into what will be his 13th consecutive Desert Classic after taking a long gamble to qualify.

Want to know why @MarcWarrenGolf took the long, 5,800km flight from Glasgow to Dubai?

He had this to say after successfully completing his mission at the @OMEGAGolfDubai Desert Classic Shootout. pic.twitter.com/1OmCLPm1oR

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) January 22, 2019

Josh Hill was the best of the teen amateurs at Dubai Hills with rounds of 76-72 for a four over total and a share of 45th place, two shots better than Trump Dubai club-mate Toby Bishop (75-75).

The post Shinkwin eyes first Desert Classic cut after back-to-back qualifying wins in Abu Dhabi and Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.