Jorge Campillo was flying high after the first round of the KLM Open at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands, as he rolled in 10 birdies on his way to a nine-under 63 and a three-stroke lead.

The Spaniard started hot with four birdies on the trot from the 11th hoe (his second) and kept up the momentum to lead the field trailing. Andy Sullivan, Joël Stalter and Pablo Larrazábal were Campillo’s nearest challengers on six-under after their 66s.

Home favourite Joost Luiten was in the large group another shot back alongside Englishmen Dale Whitnell and John Parry, Spaniards Alejandro del Rey and Adrian Otaegui, India’s Shubhankar Sharma and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

? Clubhouse Lead ?@jcampillogolf with a brilliant 63 ?#KLMOpen

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 25, 2023

Campillo said: “I played solid really. I hit it great, hit the driver fairly well, missed a few fairways here and there but hit great iron shots and only made one bogey.

“I was 30 feet from birdie but hit it 60 feet past the hole – but overall I played really solid.

“I keep doing the same things. I’m hitting my irons really well, the driver is a little inconsistent but on this golf course, it lets you play from off the fairway as well.

“I putted great today, which I didn’t do in Belgium, so it was a nice day.”

The post Campillo flies to the top at KLM Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Let's just leave it to the pros to call "fore." (Wait for it)@Lexi ? pic.twitter.com/ivXE2orUOv

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 14, 2019

The response. The face. So good. But while the clip spread around Golf Twitter, it didn’t spawn a full-blown meme. I tried to push the issue, but like the word “fetch” in Mean Girls, sadly, it hasn’t really caught on:

Me when someone compares the Giants ownership to the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/Dv6Nr3pcbB

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) September 16, 2019

Maybe I went too regional with a New York sports joke? I had been workshopping “Me when someone criticizes my diet” or “Me when someone asks about my chocolate addiction.” Maybe those would have played better? Oh well, I tried, Lexi. In any event, we promise to talk about some more important things going on in golf. And in the meantime, better safe than sorry with those “Fore!” calls.

WE’RE BUYING

Suzann Pettersen: Many people questioned Pettersen’s spot on the European team after essentially being on maternity leave for the past two years, but wow, did she come through with arguably the year’s clutchest putt and potentially one of the greatest walk-off moments in sports history. As in actually walking off into the sunset. The two-time major champ buried this must-make putt to claim the Solheim Cup and then immediately announced her retirement from professional golf:

Suzann Pettersen wins it on the 18th

After an @allymc10 miss on 17, @suzannpettersen makes birdie on the 18th to win the Solheim Cup for Team Europe! ???? pic.twitter.com/6nYPDZ4azP

— LPGA (@LPGA) September 15, 2019

What a freaking mic drop.

Joaquin Niemann: From one player perfectly finishing a brilliant career to another beginning one in style, Niemann rolled in a long birdie putt to cap a six-shot win at The Greenbrier to open the 2019-‘20 PGA Tour season.

What a way to wrap up the win. ?

A birdie at the last for @JoacoNiemann.

He shot 31 to win by SIX @GBRMilitary. pic.twitter.com/oIZfDtBKQi

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 15, 2019

How about this kid? And we do mean kid considering he doesn’t turn 21 until November. A late-season run allowed him to keep his PGA Tour card following his rookie season and now, who knows how good this former World No. 1 amateur can be. In addition to being the first golfer from Chile to win on the PGA Tour, he also joined Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy as the only foreign-born players under 21 to win a tour event. DECENT company.

Sergio Garcia: We’ll keep the international accolades going with Sergio’s KLM Open victory, his 16th career European Tour title. Frankly, it was good to see Sergio making news for something other than destroying a golf course or throwing a putter at his caddie. And I love a good Azalea sighting:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eo4hjFUzD/?utm_source=ig_embed

We’re also buying the 18-year-old from Denmark, Nicolai Hojgaard, who he beat by one. I remember a teenaged Sergio challenging Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship like it was yesterday. Damn, I’m getting old.

Jack Nicklaus’ heroics: Jack may be closing in on 80, but the Golden Bear still possesses the magic that made him an 18-time major champ. First, here’s a walk-off putt to win a team event:

Good way to end the day!
Promised partner & longtime friend Tom Kelley I would share our fun. Tom & I won the Legends Division (small field?) today in 2-day @SycamoreHillsFW National Pro-Scratch Invitational.
Wanted to make sure on 18 that we didn't lose in a scorecard playoff! pic.twitter.com/8VSWYsmKH4

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) September 11, 2019

And then he had a walk-off chip-in to win a charity contest:

UNREAL ?@JackNicklaus drained his chip for charity on 18 at The @AllyChallenge. pic.twitter.com/YgWtasd14o

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) September 14, 2019

You don’t win 18 majors by accident. What a legend.

WE’RE SELLING

Lexi Thompson’s week: What actually was that bad was Thompson’s 0-4 record. A tweaked back before her final match didn’t help matters, but if Thompson could have clawed even a half-point, Team USA would have retained the Cup. Ouch. Instead, America’s highest-ranked player got shut out, while the world’s 620th-ranked player wound up being the hero. That’s golf, folks.

Scottie Scheffler’s “shank”: This shot definitely didn’t need a “FORE!” call and yet the PGA Tour rookie was disgusted by it. Scheffler obviously hasn’t played with my boss, Sam Weinman, because he clearly has no clue what a shank is.

If this is a shank, then sign me tf up pic.twitter.com/Na7vxbPf2R

— Amanda Rose (@AmandaGolf59) September 14, 2019

And you wonder why kids react like this on tee shots that end up 15 feet from the pin:

12-year-old Vince Komen just beat the Pros! ?#KLMOpen pic.twitter.com/R5gpCxMrNj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 12, 2019

Hideki Matsuyama, this is your fault.

Kevin Chappell’s weekend: First off, it was great seeing Kevin playing his first PGA Tour event in nearly a year after undergoing back surgery. It was even greater seeing him fire the 11th 59 in PGA Tour history on Friday at The Greenbrier. Yet with rounds of 73 and 72 over the weekend, he managed to finish T-47. In a tournament, he shot FIFTY-NINE! But again, that’s golf, folks.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Mississippi for the Sanderson Farms Championship, AKA that event where the winner gets a rooster trophy. Meanwhile, the BMW PGA, the European Tour’s flagship event, will be contested across the pond. This event was moved from May to September with all the PGA Tour schedule changes this past season. It will boast a better field than the Sanderson Farms Championship, but not a rooster trophy. Advantage: Sanderson Farms Championship.

Random tournament fact: Cameron Champ won the coveted rooster trophy last year. But he is still looking for his first top 10 of 2019.

Matt Sullivan

Heavy lies the rooster crown.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Either event will produce a dramatic finish like the Solheim Cup: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Joaquin Niemann will win again this week: 12-to-1 odds (Actual odds; the favourite to win that coveted rooster trophy!)

—Joaquin Niemann will win again at some point: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Move over, Alex Noren!

1,000 balls a day ?

Dutch amateur Koen Kouwenaar’s hands show how he's currently inside the Top 15 ?#KLMOpen pic.twitter.com/dhU7uNrtYP

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 13, 2019

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Move over, Brooks Koepka!

Warm weather practice for @Kiradech ? pic.twitter.com/E9QewCPu4e

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) September 13, 2019

Long live The Barn Rat.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m done. I’m closing it down tomorrow.” —Suzann Pettersen. Funny, I said the same thing after my latest disappointing round on Saturday.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITIES PLAYING GOLF

From backboards to sneakers to golf clubs, Zion Williamson destroys everything he touches:

“He literally broke the club!”

Grown. Man. Strength. ?@Zionwilliamson pic.twitter.com/uRd3cV6WX6

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 13, 2019

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PRO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION COMPETITION

Tiger Woods and his girlfriend, Erica Herman, went to a college football game pitting their alma maters (Stanford and UCF) against each other:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eR1IWBPzw/?utm_source=ig_embed

And Erica’s Golden Knights are probably ready to declare themselves co-national champs again after drubbing Tiger’s Cardinal, 45-27. Ouch.

Julio Aguilar

That must have been a tense car ride home. And then Woods’ Oakland Raiders got run off the field by the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Tough weekend for Tiger.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PROS ARE JUST LIKE US

Justin Thomas shared his recent skin cancer scare and provided an important PSA for golfers everywhere:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Utje_BIq5/?utm_source=ig_embed

Also, JT, you might want to ask Phil for some calf exercises. Speaking of Phil. . .

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Phil philmed his latest edition of “Phireside Chats” from one of his phavourite restaurants in San Diego:

I was at Addison’s (best restaurant in SD and has 1 Michelin star) and I saw a fireplace. So I shot a quick Phireside with Phil. pic.twitter.com/jVqhxzcSDJ

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 15, 2019

We were wondering when he was going to start turning these into ads. Can’t wait for him to start slipping in some product placement! Also, Phil got word of this fantastic painting of him:

Now this is……….AWESOME ! https://t.co/i2DsU016e4

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 16, 2019

Hopefully, that artist got PAID.

THIS AND THAT

Tiger Woods announced the One Bahamas Fund to help raise money for the area after Hurricane Dorian. You can donate here. Check out our Brian Wacker’s piece on Dorian’s devastating effects and donate here. . . . Viktor Hovland tied Bob Estes’ PGA Tour record by shooting in the 60s for a 17th consecutive round. Sorry, Bob, but I think your record is going down. . . . More stats! With a pair of 20-year-olds, Matthew Wolff and Joaquin Niemann winning in the same year, marked the first time since 1931 that three players under the age of 21 won on the PGA Tour in the same year. . . . Speaking of Young Gunz, 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia will make his pro debut this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He makes Wolff and Niemann look like grizzled vets. . . . And finally, these cookies are a new addition to Costco:

Let’s just say I’m not mad about it.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Did Tiger and Erica make a bet on the Stanford-UCF game?

Did golf writers (over)use the phrase “Young Gunz” in 1931?

Is my chocolate addiction that bad?

The post Golf’s ultimate mic drop, Tiger Woods and his girlfriend square off, and the greatest meme that never was appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Good news has been hard to come by for Sergio Garcia in 2019. The 39-year-old Spaniard was disqualified from a European Tour event in Saudi Arabia in February after purposely damaging greens during a round. In July, there were more on-course tantrums caught on camera at the Open Championship and the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. And after finishing 2018 at No. 23 on the Official World Golf Ranking, Garcia had fallen to No. 43 before this week’s KLM Open.

Yet on Sunday at The International in Amsterdam, Garcia finally heard the media speaking his name without taking it in vain. With a closing three-under-par 69, he won the title by one stroke over Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard.

The victory was the 16th on the European Tour for the former Masters champion, and the first since winning the 2018 Andalucia Masters. It marks the third straight year that Garcia has won an event on the European Tour, the first time in his career that he’s gone three straight seasons with a victory.

“We had a great week and great to win again,” Garcia said. “I played well all week under pressure. It wasn’t easy. There were a couple of tough moments today, but I hung on tough, that’s the most important thing.”

Specifically, Garcia birdied four of his first seven holes on Sunday, but bogeyed the other three to make the turn in one under par. On the back nine, Garcia made birdies on the 11th, 15th and 16th holes to take a three-shot lead over Hojgaard, only to bogey the 17th hole and bring the outcome back into doubt.

Hojgaard, an 18-year-old playing in just his seventh European Tour event, reached the par-5 18th in two. But his eagle putt that could have forced a playoff slid by the hole. His birdie left him with a 68.

Garcia proceeded to make a par on the 18th to clinch the win at 18-under 270, earning €333,330. The most satisfying part of the win? That it came with family members watching from behind the 18th green.

Said Garcia: “It was honestly amazing to have my brother [Victor], Angela my wife, and little Azalea [Garcia’s daughter] here. It’s very special.”

The post Sergio Garcia accomplishes a personal best on the European Tour with his KLM Open win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
One shot ahead after three rounds and still clear after 14 holes on the final day, Chris Wood for a long time looked the most likely winner of the KLM Open. But, sadly for the 30-year-old Englishman, those last four holes proved to be four too far. As his nearest challenger, China’s Ashun Wu, made birdie 4s on the 15th and 18th to shoot a closing 67 and reach 16 under on The Dutch course just outside Spijk, Wood could manage only regulation figures. Needing a birdie to tie on the 499-yard par-5 18th, Wood agonisingly three-putted from long range—his first effort actually rolled off the green—to hand Wu the title and the €300,000 first prize.

WIN: Places in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Omega Dubai Ladies Classic Pro-Ams

Wu arrived in the Netherlands 90th on the Race to Dubai and a lowly 344th in the World Ranking. The 33-year-old was nearing the end of a season in which he has struggled mightily to hold onto his tour card, and thus understandably delighted at this dramatic turnaround in his fortunes. Following a T-7 finish in the China Open back in April and T-6 just a week earlier in Switzerland, this was only Wu’s third top-10 finish in an otherwise undistinguished campaign.

“I feel fantastic,” he said after completing his third European Tour victory and moving all the way up to 43rd on the money list. “This is unbelievable. I have so many people to thank, my caddie especially. He told me to focus on every shot and do my best. The last few holes were key. And the shot I hit to 18 was unbelievable, definitely my best shot of the week. My coach and I have been working very hard since the start of the year. And I have been getting better and better since Denmark [where he finished T-49]. I am so happy to have my name on this trophy alongside so many great ones.”

Not surprisingly, even after shooting 69, Wood was less enamored with the eventual outcome. Since winning the 2016 BMW PGA Championship and playing in the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine later that year (he partnered Justin Rose to a foursome victory over Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson before losing to then-U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson on the final green in the singles), things have not gone quite so well for the amiable 6-foot-6 giant. Where his career path to that point had gone steadily upwards, he has since stalled amidst much tinkering with his full-swing technique.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Wood stood on the 18th green not believing the title has slipped away.

Indeed, since that famous win at Wentworth in May 2016, Wood has managed only six top-10s in 39 European Tour starts. Still, three of those have come this season, all of them runner-up finishes. So, even amidst this latest disappointment, the signs are once again positive. Still, he will look back with some regret on the wild tee-shots he carved well right of the 12th and 15th fairways on Sunday. The first led to a damaging double bogey (one that followed the two successive birdies that had taken him three shots clear of the field), and the latter to a hard-working par on what was the third-easiest hole on the course.

Slightly lower on the leader board, Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who drove home after Friday mistakenly thinking he had missed the cut, only to return and shoot 63-66 over the weekend, finished T-3 alongside Hideto Tanihara. Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington was alone in fifth place, three shots behind the champion. Mention too must be made of Martin Kaymer. In his first event after splitting with long-time caddie Craig Connelly, the former U.S. Open and PGA champion shot a final round 69 to be T-15. Amazingly, this was the German’s third-highest finish on the European Tour this season. Baby steps.

The post China’s Ashun Wu rallies late to salvage 2018 season and win KLM Open by one over Chris Wood appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
After Friday’s second round of the Valspar Championship, Paul Casey said “I want to win this week, but if I don’t I want Tiger to win this week.” One of those wishes came true.

Casey played a brilliant round on Sunday on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, closing with a six-under 65 to earn his second PGA Tour victory, his first since the 2009 Shell Houston Open. It’s also his first worldwide victory since the 2014 KLM Open on the European Tour.

“He (Woods) made it look easy for such a long time, and it’s not,” said Casey, who finished at 10-under 274. “I’ve won a few times in Europe, [but] to take this long to get my second victory on the PGA Tour, it’s emotional. I’ve worked so hard, I’m so happy for it.”

Casey’s won more than a few times on the European Tour, 13 to be exact, which always made his lack of victories on the PGA Tour so puzzling. He’s given himself plenty of chances though, finishing inside the top seven now 21 times since the beginning of 2015, including two runner-up finishes that year. Sooner or later, win No. 2 was going to come.

“A lot of practice. I work hard at it. I think the biggest thing was I lost a friend last Saturday, at Mexico, played with a heavy heart, maybe that was the difference.”

The Englishman made seven birdies and just one bogey on Sunday, needing just 21 putts along the way. The winning putt ended up being a 21-footer for birdie at the par-3 12th, the last Casey made all day. In addition to this win, he’s made all six cuts this season, finishing inside the top-20 five on five of those occasions.

Finishing in a tie for second at nine-under 275 were Woods and Patrick Reed, who looked to be in prime position to get into a playoff with Casey when he found the green with his approach shot at the 18th hole, needing only a two-putt par. His birdie effort was so short that it rolled back to his feet on the treacherous 18th green, leading to a bogey for a three-under 68.

In the group behind Reed, Woods mounted a late charge, finally making his second birdie of the day from 43 feet at the par-3 17th to get to nine under. His last birdie effort at the 18th came up two feet short, and he cleaned up the par for a one-under 70. It was an exciting week for the 14-time major champion and a promising sign. He’ll be back next week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he looks to capture his ninth career victory.

Sergio Garcia, who matched Casey’s Sunday 65, finished alone in fourth at eight-under 276. Rory Sabbatini and Justin Rose tied for fifth at seven-under 277.

The post Paul Casey wins Valspar Championship for second career PGA Tour victory, his first since 2009 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

At Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s 177-yard par 3 15th hole, all three pros found the putting surface, with McIlroy’s being the closest. Despite the immense pressure for Murphy, a six-handicapper, he pulled out a 3 wood and striped it:

Playing with your hero, @McIlroyRory –

Taking down the World Number One –

Today is a day 13 year old Oscar Murphy will never forget. pic.twitter.com/yGLLUrreQc

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 18, 2018

Another thing the European Tour does well? Commentating. “What a crackerjack, like a young Rory.” So perfect.

Murphy’s ball settled 25 feet from the pin, good enough to be inside Fleetwood and Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world. Not too shabby. And even though McIlroy just beat him out, he and Fleetwood were both in awe when talking about Murphy’s shot after the round.

“The pin was tucked on the right and he hit this three wood, just faded in to the pin,” said Fleetwood.“An unbelievable shot and me and Rory both said ‘we don’t have that in our locker’.”

McIlroy added:“Oscar lives here. He’s from Northern Ireland so he’s been following me since the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta.

“Every round I play here I feel like he’s my little mascot. I wasn’t expecting to see him on the tee there – I was a little bit surprised to see him inside the ropes but he hit a great shot.”

The post Watch: 13-year-old hits tee shot inside of Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It started with a DQ for inadvertently signing an incorrect second round scorecard at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February. There followed a series of near MENA Tour misses (five top 3 finishes in all), frustration that spiralled downward dramatically when he contracted a “savage” bout of malaria during the circuit’s South African swing in June and ended up in a Pretoria hospital.

In September, the Yas Links attached 29-year-old was left “embarrassed” after missing the cut at the European Tour’s KLM Open, a performance he described as “absolutely useless”.  The misery (stick with us here) compounded when he failed to advance from the first stage of European Tour Q-School in Austria – by a single stroke – in a “devastating blow” a week later. 

Yet more heartache followed at the MENA Tour Championship in Ajman when, by the equivalent of a measly $121, he dropped to third in the OOM, denying him a shot at KLM Open redemption next year. He did earn a Desert Classic return and full Sunshine Tour status for 2018 although the illness in Pretoria may make a Asian Development Tour pass more appealing.

Ever the optimist, Joy carried on. And on Saturday, we are delighted to report, the perseverance finally paid of as Joy won the King Hamad Trophy at the Royal Club in Bahrain by five strokes from Joshua White.

Here’s the joyous moment via the Bahrain Golf Association’s new Instagram feed:

10th King Hamad Trophy Champion, Luke Joy making a birdie on the 18, well done Luke ??????

A post shared by Bahrain Golf Association (@bahraingolf) on Nov 18, 2017 at 4:39am PST

“Absolutely buzzing to get the job done today and get over the line first and want to thank the Bahrain Golf Association for the invite and hospitality, was a really well run event and look forward to returning next year,” said Joy who carded rounds of 67-66-68 despite the tricky greens.

“I think if they had the greens any quicker this week you could miss the green, from the green!”

A post shared by Bahrain Golf Association (@bahraingolf) on Nov 18, 2017 at 7:27am PST

Joy now has a well deserved day off today before the final kick of his season which includes a two-day Pro-Am in Dubai before his final event of the year in Equatorial Guinea next month, the 3E Actuaries Open in Mongomo.

“It’s always an event I look forward to playing and always seems to provide great entertainment.”

Much like Joy’s blog has all season. Here’s to a stellar finish to 2017 in Africa.

Final round results, 10th King Hamad Trophy 2017

A post shared by Bahrain Golf Association (@bahraingolf) on Nov 18, 2017 at 9:28pm PST

The post Finally some Joy as Luke wins King Hamad Trophy in Bahrain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Henric Sturehed has been knocking on victory’s door for weeks and when he finally burst through Thursday, the view had exciting European, Asian and Sunshine Tour views.

The 27-year-old Swede waltz to a nine-stroke victory in the MENA Tour Championship at Al Zorah with a closing 69 to collect the circuit’s flagship title and the season’s richest cheque courtesy of an impressive -21 total.

The $18,000 took his season’s earnings to exactly two greenbacks over $30,000 and saw Sturehed leap-frog five places up to second in the order-of-merit behind champion Jamie Elson.

He’d started the working week almost certain of a place in the final stage of Sunshine Tour Q-School in South African and ended it with much more than a honking great pay cheque.

As well as a full card on the South African tour, Sturehed is now contemplating starts in January’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic and a second European Tour event, next September’s KLM Open at the Dutch. He also has a full Asian Development Tour card for 2018 but mightn’t need it – there’s also a free pass to the final stage of Asian Tour Q-School to consider.

“I’m absolutely delighted with my first win on the MENA Tour,” said Sturehed who became the the fourth Swede to win a MENA Tour event after Per Barth, Christofer Blomstrand and Fredrik From.

“I felt really comfortable out there, like I was in control of my game. It was my first season on the MENA Tour and I really enjoyed the whole experience. There are many good players out there and it was fun competing with them. I have made many new good friends and hope to return next year.”

Jake Shepherd, a two-time winner on the tour, went bogey-free in a closing six-under 66 to finish second at Al Zorah on -12, two clear of fellow Englishman Andrew Marshall and Adam Sagar.

Elson returned a level-par 72 to join fellow Englishmen Joe Heraty and Luke Joy in a three-way tie for fifth on -9, 279 , good enough for him to seal the prestigious Order of Merit title ahead of Sturehed.

As well as season earnings of $32,695, Elson becomes the first MENA Tour player to win a PGA Tour start at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial C.C. in May after also teeing it up in the Desert Classic and the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II in Morocco in April. The 36-year-old Englishman also has all the Sunshine, and full and developmental Asian Tour privileges as Sturehed to ponder.

In the final wash-up in Ajman, you had to feel for Luke Joy whose frustrating season – hampered by a bout of malaria contracted during the MENA Tour’s South African swing – ended in more disappointment.

By the equivalent of a measly $121, he dropped to third in the OOM which denies the Yas Links-attached Englishman and return to the KLM Open. Here’s hoping he makes hay at the Desert Classic after being DQ’d for innocently signing an incorrect score card last January. He also has full Sunshine Tour status for 2018 although the illness in Pretoria may make a Asian Development Tour pass more appealing.

Todd Clements, meanwhile, signed for a 68 to win the amateur division on -5 283 . It was the English Amateur Champion’s sixth successive title and saw him crowned runaway amateur OOM champion from Sam Hobday.

Final MENA Tour Championship scores 

Final Pro OOM standings

Final Amateur OOM standings

The post Sturehed waltzes MENA Tour Championship as Elson eyes European Tour return and prized PGA Tour invite appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Yas Links-attached Englishman dodged the worst of the weather at The Dutch in Spijk but his golf game was sadly missing in action as he carded rounds of 74-73 to finish +5 and miss the cut by five strokes.

Joy, who earned the start at the Dutch courtesy of finishing second on last season’s MENA Tour, is now 0-3 cuts made on the European Tour. It was hardly the lead-in Joy envisaged ahead of the first stage of qualifying for the world’s second richest tour in Austria this week but the 29-year-old refuses to give up on his dream.

“Not the result I wanted by any stretch of the imagination but it makes me want to work harder and get better so I don’t feel I need to do anything differently when I play these events,” Joy told followers on his blog.

Joy was last off the 10th tee in the first round on Thursday but only managed to hit his opening drive before play was postponed due to high winds and a waterlogged course.

It meant he faced 36 holes on Friday but he struggled from the get-go despite “perfect” conditions,

“Unfortunately I was absolutely useless this morning. I couldn’t hit a shot to save my life and went out in 41 shots and was sat at +5 through 9 holes,” said Joy who is fighting back to full fitness after contracting malaria in June.

Related: Luke Joy hopes to translate his off course happiness on it

“I was absolutely gutted. It’s not been the best of years and to start the tournament off in that way after looking forward to this event all year was pretty hard to take.

“Obviously the European Tour is a step up from what I’m used to playing and all I can put my miserable outward nine down to this morning was wanting it way to much and trying way too hard to make a golf swing and force a score. In the end neither happened.

“I only really made a golf swing on my 15th hole after some good up and downs to limit the damage further. I did manage to birdie two of my last four holes to post +3 (74). It felt like I shot 90 out there. The course was there for the taking but I just didn’t bring anything to the table.”

After a quick lunch break, Joy’s second round got off to a nightmare start when he lost a ball in a gorse bush en-route to a double bogey. In the end, he departed in good company with 2014 Ryder Cup winning Welshman Jamie Donaldson also finishing +5.

“It just absolutely deflated me and to be honest I started to feel embarrassed by my performance as I had never hit the ball so erratically. I did manage then to play something that reassembled golf, found the middle of the bat a few times which was a nice change from what had come before. In the end I made a few birdies and unfortunately had a few bogeys and ended up carding a 73 (+2) for a +5 total.”

Joy thanked the MENA Tour and KLM Open organisers for the opportunity as well as his coach

Matt Parker who flew to The Netherlands to assist his charge. He also had his parents in the galleries but is now focused on redemption in Austria before returning to MENA Tour action at te Sept. 25-27 Abu Dhabi Open at Yas Links.

“I need to learn from this week and put it behind me and push on over the next few weeks.“

The post No KLM Open Joy as Luke eyes European Tour Q-School appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Abu Dhabi-based Englishman has endured a topsy-turvy 2017 after being forced to DQ himself at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February for signing an incorrect second round scorecard before being hospitalised in Pretoria with malaria after the MENA Tour’s Joburg City Masters in June.

Related: No Joy as ‘savage’ bout of malaria takes The Roar out of MENA Tour frontrunner

But the 29-year-old is in a happy place after proposing to his long-time girlfriend Lauren-Leanne Bellows while on holiday in Italy a fortnight ago and will take a relaxed attitude into his third European Tour start at The Dutch, one of the most spectacular layouts in The Netherlands.

Joy is zero for two on the European Tour after also missing the cut at the 2015 Desert Classic and will be first looking to better his four rounds to date – 77 and 73 in 2015 and 75-74 in February (he signed for a 73 in the second round after failing to notice a mistake by his playing partner and DQ’d himself after realising the mistake).

Ultimately, Joy will use the €1.8 million KLM Open to play his way into some form ahead of the first stage of European Tour Q-School in Austria next week. He’s reached the second stage of Q-School in three of the last four years but has never cracked the final tournament so has much to play for at The Dutch.

“Obviously it would be great to get a good performance and make a nice cheque to help the bank balance but I have not had a whole lot of time on the course competing recently,” said Joy who is still recovering from the “savage” bout of malaria.

Luke Joy | Blog https://t.co/AXYKwR0LSt @PrevailGolf @RemedyOak @YasLinksGC @theMENATour @GolfDigestME pic.twitter.com/QaVnzNkA1o

— Luke Joy (@JoyBoy59) June 19, 2017

“But I feel the game is in pretty good shape from my practice recently. I’ve just got to go and have fun and let my golf for the week take care of the rest.”

Joy earned his start at The Dutch courtesy of finishing second on the MENA Tour last year. He’s currently third in this season’s order of merit so could yet earn more European Tour starts with a strong finish to the Middle East and North Africa developmental Pro-Am circuit.

Related: Keyser goes wire-to-wire to deny Thomas a fairytale Dubai Creek Open double

He returns to local action at the Sept. 25-27 Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Classic at Yas Links with an eye on the OOM title which earns starts in the Desert Classic, Malaysia’s Maybank Championship and Morocco’s Hassan II Trophee, as well as an invite to the PGA Tour’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. A full Sunshine Tour card for 2018 and exemption to the final stage of qualifying for the Asian Tour also await the champion, meaning Joy has a few massive weeks coming up.

He is in the last group off the 10th tee at 2.35pm local time (4.35pm UAE time) today alongside Dutch amateur Jerry Ji and Swedish journeyman Oscar Floren who won a Challenge Tour event in Wales in 2010 but has made just two of six cuts on the secondary tour this year.

“This is my first European Tour event in Europe so it will be good to get a different feel playing with a European crowd after two Desert Classics,” said Joy. “The course [designed by Colin Montgomerie and European Golf Design and opened in 2011] is unreal but playing very long as soft and crazy windy. I just hope the weather improves over the week.”

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