The 27-year-old Swede fired a nine-under 63 in the final round in Thailand to finish -13 for the tournament which was reduced to 36 holes after the first two rounds of the tour’s very first 72-hole event were washed out.

Seven of From’s nine birdies came on the back nine at Pattana Golf Club & Resort as he won by three strokes from Venezuela’s Wolmer Murillo.

“Feel really delighted to get the job done this time around after having lost out in a couple of playoffs on the MENA Tour,” said From after receiving the winner’s trophy from Thomas Topken, managing director of Pattana Golf Club.

“Everything worked well for me. I hit all the greens in regulation which was great. This course is my favourite now. There are so many scoring opportunities out there, especially on the back nine.

The MENA Tour now breaks till early June and the three South African swing events co-sanctioned by the Big Easy Tour, the developmental arm of the Sunshine Tour. From will be there as he chases starts in as many as four European Tour events (including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic) and the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational which are awarded to the MENA Tour OOM champion.

“I will be playing in MENA Tour’s events in South Africa and see if I can win the order of merit,” said From who graduated from the MENA Tour’s Qualifying School in 2016.

Murillo reeled off seven birdies against a lone bogey in his closing six-under 66 in Chon Buri to finish solo second, one clear of England’s Jordan Garnish and American Roberto Galletti, who fired two eagles, including one on par-4 6th en-route to his final round 67.

Overnight leader Jose Ignacio Marin Casado of Spain slipped into a three-way tie for fifth on eight-under after carding a level-par 72 alongside the Thai duo of Nakul Vichitryuthasastr and Wanich Petcharit.

Brazil’s Dubai-based Tiago Lobo kept up his dominance in the amateur division, taking the honours on two-under after a final round 73 as India’s Arkesh Bhatia, who is also based in Dubai, and Thailand’s Worathon Zeng shared second four shots adrift.

Elsewhere, playing in his first competitive event in four weeks, European Tour regular Prom Meesawat knocked the rust off his game, finishing tied 9th on six-under after returning a 68, one ahead of England’s Lee Corfield and three off Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner on the tour, as UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrek settled for tied 60^th on four over 148.

From joins Thai Jazz Janewattananond (Mahasamutr Masters) and Frenchman Lionel Weber (Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen) as the MENA Tour’s Thailand swing champions of 2017.

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After two rained out days and several frustrating false starts in between, the inaugural Pattana Golf Championship finally got underway in Thailand Thursday and the Spaniard made up for lost time with a sizzling eight-under 64.

It will see Casado take a two shot lead over Thai Nakul Vichitryuthasastr into Friday’s final round with the MENA Golf Tour’s first ever 72-hole tournament to be decided over 36-holes, whether permitting.

England’s Jodan Garnish and Indian Udayan Mane fired 67s to share third a further shot adrift, one clear of a seven-man group which included Venezuela’s Wolmer Murillo, the winner of the MENA Tour’s Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen last year.

Starting on Pattana Golf Club & Resort’s 10th tee, Casado jumped out of the blocks with an impressive six successive birdies from the 11th.

“It was an amazing round with nine birdies. My putting was crazy as I made six birdies from holes 11-16 and another three on the front nine,” the Spaniard said.

“This is my first year playing on the MENA Tour and I am really enjoying the atmosphere as there is a tremendous sense of camaraderie among the players.”

That mightn’t last if Casado continues to wield such a hot putter although Vichitryuthasastr went bogey free Thursday and looks a threat. The experienced Thai also lit up the back nine with five birdies before picking up another shot on the 1st to stay in contention for a maiden MENA Tour title.

‘Played a good, solid round. I had an early start and benefited from the lack of wind,” said Vichitryuthasastr who turned professional in 2006 after an impressive amateur career which saw him represent Thailand in the Putra Cup and the Eisenhower Trophy.

Mane also kept it clean, reeling off two birdies on the front nine and three coming home.

“I drove the ball really well which gave me enough chances to hit greens,” said the Bangaluru native, who won a Professional Golf Tour of India’s event in Dhaka in March.

“It was a bit waterlogged in a few places, but it’s our duty as players to adjust to the course. The greens were surprisingly really quick and it caught me off guard on a few holes, but I was able to salvage pars.”

Elsewhere, European Tour regular Prom Meesawat returned a 70 to move into a 16-way tie for 16th along with England’s Zane Scotland and Luke Joy, who finished runner-up at last week’s Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen.

Brazil’s Dubai-based prodigy Tiago Lobo mixed five birdies with an eagle and four bogeys to lead the amateur division on a 69, three shots ahead of fast-improving Indian star Arkesh Bhatia, who is also based in Dubai.

The cut was made at level-par 72 with 58 professionals and seven amateurs making it to the final round. English cricketer-turned-golfer Craig Kieswetter (73) was among the notables who missed out on the halfway mark.

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Some play was possible on the second day of the inaugural $50,000 event after a waterlogged Pattana Golf Club and Resort saw the abandonment of Tuesday’s opening round. But another deluge of rain shortly after the commencement of play saw tournament director Trevor Varri (pictured) pull the plug on Wednesday’s play.

“The course has not cleared, it’s still water-logged, we’ve had more rain since then and the course is still unplayable, so unfortunately the rest of the day we are not going to be able to get any further play so we’ve cancelled play today,” said Varri.

Play is scheduled to recommence – with the scores of the few players who did manage to start Wednesday null and void – at 7am (Thai time) Thursday. However the weather forecast has Varri worried for the fate of the flagship event of the tour’s Thailand swing.

“Hopefully we’ll get the play in tomorrow, the weather forecast is not great but we’ll do everything we can to prepare the course ready for play. The greenkeeping staff have been absolutely amazing and they’re working so hard all day and all night to keep the water off the course but we still see it coming down and it’s very, very difficult at the moment to foresee how we are going to conclude this tournament,” he said.

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“Big Dolphin” Meesawat headlines historic MENA Tour event in Thailand

“There’s one or two options at the moment to try and get 36 holes completed at the least but it all depends really on what happens tomorrow [Thursday] so we’ll reassess tomorrow and hopefully we’ll get some play.”

Pattana’s 10th hole

Varri has ordered a reverse draw so the early “starters” from the first two days “can get a bit of a lie in” because “they have been getting up at the crack of dawn”.

“This way we can spread the frustration around a little bit.”

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The 18^th staging of the Ryder Cup-style event will play out at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club on May 20 and 21 respectively.

The 16-strong amateur team, chosen from the Emirates Golf Federation’s order of merit (OOM), powered to a 19.5 to 12.5 victory last year, their first win in nine years and just their third ever since the inception of the Dubai Golf Trophy in 2000.

Rayhan Thomas

The EFG amateurs will be bullish with Thomas back and given that the professionals are missing the three leading players from this year’s UAE PGA OOM – Cennydd Mills (DCGYC), Steven Munro (UAE PGA) and Stefan Wears-Taylor (Al Zorah) – along with injured Jumeirah Golf Estates pro Tom Henderson.

Thomas’ busy schedule has seen him finish T28 and T23 in the past two MENA Tour events but such is the stature of the Dubai Trophy, the 17-year-old Indian amateur No.1 has opted out of this week’s rain-shortened Pattana Golf Championship to support the Dubai Golf event.

Close to half of the amateur team is made up of juniors, aged between 12 to 18, including Thomas, Chris Rahm, Josh Hill and Arjun Gupta. With 10 players from last year’s winning team returning, there is a great mix of youth and experience, veterans and rookies.

Amateur captain Bayhaan Lakdawala is keen to repeat the success of 2016.

“The enthusiasm this year is something that I have never seen before; several players have made significant changes to their work, family and travel schedules to compete in the Order of Merit events to ensure their place on the team,” said Lakdawala.

The iconic par 4 8th hole on the Majlis is sure to have a say in the 18th Dubai Golf Trophy matches

“The win last year sparked a lot of interest amongst amateurs in the country. This has led to stronger tournament fields and excellent golf being played in the qualifying events. Coming off one of the most competitive amateur seasons ever, we are really looking forward to competing against the pros in one of the most esteemed golfing events in the UAE.”

David Gray (DG Golf), playing in his 10^th consecutive Dubai Golf Trophy, will captain the UAE PGA Pros as they seek a 15^th victory,

“With the amateur game at a higher level year-on-year, it’s going to be another fantastic two days of heated competition,” said Gray.

“I will miss our top three players Mills, Munro and Taylor who all have prior commitments. Henderson managed to break his hand in a freak accident but we have a lot of depth with some recent fine form in the closing events from all team members leaving confidence high. It’s an honour to be captain of 15 stellar professionals and I look forward to seeing how the two days’ unfold with, of course, the professionals denying the amateurs their first ever title defence. “

Dubai Golf CEO Christopher May has been closely involved with the event since it started in 2000.

“The purpose of the Dubai Golf Trophy is to raise the profile of golf in the region and to bring players from clubs all over the UAE together in a competitive and enjoyable format, which provides a focus for players to aim for throughout the qualifying events during the season. Qualifying for this end of season tournament is a great achievement for the golfers involved. We are all anticipating an exciting two days of competition ahead,” said May.

2017 Dubai Golf Trophy – Teams

Professionals
David Gray (Captain, DG Golf)
Ryan Smith (Vice Captain, The Montgomerie)
Callum Nicoll (Abu Dhabi)
Gavin Sutherland (ETPI JGE)
Jack Woods (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Joe Marshall (BHSGD – The Els Club)
Luke Plumb (Trump Dubai)
Malcolm Young (Arabian Ranches)
Michael Major (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Tian Wentzel (Al Zorah)
Shane Peacock (Al Ain)
Michael Bolt (Trump Dubai)
Dong Lee (Dubai Golf)
Tom Buchanan (Al Ain)
Alex Nicholson (The Track, Meydan Golf)
Rory Young (Al Ghazal Golf Club)

Amateurs
Bayhaan Lakdawala (Captain, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Max Burrow (Vice Captain, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Ahmad Skaik (EGF)
Arjun Gupta (Jumeirah Golf Estates)
Aryan Chordia (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Chris Alderman (Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club)
Christofer Rahm (EGF)
Craig Vance (Tower Links)
Josh Hill (Jumeirah Golf Estates)
Martin Fernandez (Jumeirah Golf Estates)
Mike Mezei (Emirates Golf Club)
Miki Merza (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Rayhan Thomas (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Sidney De Souza (EGF)
Stephen Loftus (Al Ghazal Golf Club)
Steven Kelbrick (Jumeirah Golf Estates)

Caption main photo: Dubai Golf CEO Christopher May is flanked by the respective captains Bayhaan Lakdawala (left, amateur) and David Gray

The post Thomas back to spearhead amateurs against weakened pros in Dubai Golf Trophy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Heavy rain at Pattana Golf Club and Resort saw officials take the decision to call play mid afternoon, the first time an entire day of play has been lost since the MENA Tour’s inception in 2011.

“The course is still severely waterlogged with a number of fairways and other areas in unplayable conditions. With more rain forecast for the afternoon, we have made the decision that no play will take place today,” said Trevor Varri, the tournament director.

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Weather permitting, play will commence on Wednesday as per the first round draw with the cut to be made after 36 holes.

The $50,000 Pattana Golf Championship in Chon Buri, a 135 minute drive south-east of Bangkok, is the third leg of the MENA Tour’s Thailand swing. The tour resumes June 6 at the South to East Challenge in Benoni. The event at Ebotse Links is the first of three events on the tour’s South African swing.

The post MENA Tour’s groundbreaking event waterlogged appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 32-year-old Thai, nicknamed the ‘Big Dolphin’ courtesy of his burly physique, will tee it up in the Dubai-HQed Tour’s first 72-hole event at Pattana Golf Club and Resort in Chon Buri, a 135 minute drive south-east of Bangkok, from Tuesday.

After winning three Thai Amateur Championships and the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships in 1997 and 2002, Meesawat turned pro in 2004 and landed his first pro title at the SK Telecom Open in South Korea two years later.

He has one other Asian Tour title – the 2014 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship – and has played a total of 127 European Tour events since 2013, including qualifying for the 2011 Open Championship where he missed the cut at Royal St George’s.

After losing his full playing privileges last season, the Hua Hin native is currently 92nd in the Race to Dubai standings having banked €107,697 in six 2016-17 wraparound season starts, headlined by top 15 finishes at the Australian PGA Championship (T10), Omega Dubai Desert Classic (T15) and Hero Indian Open (T13).

The son of Suthepi, the first Thai to win the Thailand Open, Meesawat came closest to a European Tour breakthrough when he dipped out in a three-way playoff for the 2013 Hong Kong Open to a Miguel Angel Jimenez birdie in the first extra hole.

Ranked 307th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Meesawat is one of 33 Thais in a field for this week’s $50,000 event including players from 25 countries. The Pattana Golf Championship is the climax to the MENA Tour’s three tournament Thailand swing and carries additional OWGR points given it is a round longer than the tour’s usual 54-hole offerings.

Switzerland’s Dubai-based Michael Harradine and Thailand’s Worathon Zeng will lead the challenge in the amateur division that has attracted nine entries. Harradine won amateur honours at last week’s Mountain Creek Open on on six-under 210 last week while Zeng had reigned supreme at the first Thailand swing event, the MahaSamutr Masters.

“We are very excited to be part of the MENA Tour. It will provide us with a great opportunity to showcase our championship course to a field which wears a global look,” said Rujirapun Juangroongruangkit, Executive Vice President of Pattana Golf Club.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour, thanked the Pattana Golf Club and Resort management for supporting the event, saying: “We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to stage our landmark 72-hole tournament. I am confident it will become a permanent stop on the tour.”

The post ‘Big Dolphin’ Meesawat headlines historic MENA Tour event in Thailand appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The dates and venues for the three tournaments, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Big Easy Tour, have just been released.

Following this week’s US$50,000 Pattana Golf Championship, the tour’s first 72 hole event at Pattana GC and Resort, a 135 minute drive south-east of Bangkok, the South African swing will start at the South to East Challenge in Benoni.

The $26,000, 54-holer will run June 6-8 at Ebotse Links (pictured above), described as the only “inland links“ course in South Africa. South African Bryandrew Roelofsz is the defending champion.

The swing then moves to the Country Club Johannesburg for the Jo’burg City Masters. Reigning MENA Tour order-of-merit champion, Englishman Craig Hinton, will be out to defend his title at the June 13-15 event which carries a purse of $28,000.

Country Club Johannesburg

“The Roar” rounds out the South African swing. Also a $28,000 event, the 54-hole tournament returns to Waterkloof Golf Club in Pretoria where Riekus Nortje (RSA) carded rounds of 65-68-70 to win last June on -13.

Waterkloof GC in the capital Pretoria. Images courtesy Sunshine Big Easy Tour

The Sunshine Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s development circuit.

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