A bogey-free, seven-under 64 allowed the Scot to equal his lowest European Tour round on Thursday afternoon and leapfrog early clubhouse leaders Kalle Samooja and Richard McEvoy by a stroke at Education City Golf Club. Italian Nino Bertasio and South African Hennie Du Plessis later joined Samooja and McEvoy tied for second at six-under.

Law is off the 10th at 7.25am (Doha time) on Friday and will be hoping to kick-on from his impressive start, just the second time in four European Tour starts this season he’s signed for a round in the 60s.

“It was a good score. I played really well. Conditions were quite easy but I was happy with my iron play and I holed some putts, which was nice,” said the The 2019 ISPS Handa Vic Open champion of his opening round.

7 birdies in 15 holes.@DavidLawGolf takes the solo-lead.#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/swlpF4U0lX

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 11, 2021

“I’ve been guilty over the last few weeks when I’ve had decent rounds going of not finishing them off. I was semi-conscious of sticking with it and trying to go low.

“I was really happy with how I stuck to my routines, my processes and I came out of it with a good score.

“I’m a lot more focused on my targets rather than my golf swings. Over the last couple of seasons I’ve been guilty of asking myself why I’ve been hitting bad shots, instead of just going on to hit the next one.

“Over the break we had I sat down with my coach Alan McCloskey and Paul Lawrie, we discussed it and it’s all about getting the ball in the hole now, trusting that you’ve done the hard work and the work’s done.”

Having a morning tee time Friday is a bonus too.

“It’s a nice draw. I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow. It’ll be different,” said Law.

“Although it was hot and muggy it was calm, it’s never normally like that here. Tomorrow will be a bit more like normal, a bit of wind and it’ll be testing. I’m looking forward to it.”

Defending champion Jorge Campillo opened with a 68 to be four strokes back entering Friday. Jordanian amateur Shergo Al Kurdi fired a fine 68 for a share of 21st place overnight.

The post Scot David Law determined to cash in on fast Doha start appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Amateur Allen John, a 30-year-old German native playing on a sponsor’s invitation, shot a closing 67 to grab a share of second place at 10 under par, one back of McEvoy, and ahead of the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed. John made birdies on four of his final eight holes, including the 15th, 16th and 17th, to get into contention late. Only a birdie by McEvoy on the final hole prevented John from getting into a playoff for the title.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” said John, who, as an amateur, had to forgo a check for `€170,000. “The atmosphere out there, the people that’ve been walking with me the 18 holes, it’s just an incredible feeling.”

John’s accomplishment is made all the more impressive given the fact that he has just 5 percent of his natural hearing. Since he was 2, he has relied on hearing aids.

His impairment didn’t stop him from playing college golf at Georgia State from 2008 to 2011, before turning pro and, for a brief time, competing on the Challenge Tour. But John decided to step back from the pro game, and regained his amateur status in 2016. He has played sparingly in European Tour and Challenge Tour events since.

In 2017, John competed in the Deaflympics, an elite IOC-sanctioned event for deaf athletes, earning the gold medal.

John began the final round in Hamburg seven strokes off the lead in 16th place, then made the turn in one-under 34. On the back nine, he found a comfort zone and started making birdies in bunches.

“[It] was quite cool, and when I was on 18 I saw the leader board and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m pretty much in contention,’ “ John said. “It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

The impressive performances has John admittedly considering another crack at playing as a professional.

“There’s a lot of self-confidence I can take out of the tournament, being in contention, finishing second,” John said. “That’s a pretty amazing feeling and gives me a lot of confidence in the abilities that I can do on a golf course.”

The post Deaf amateur golfer Allen John nearly claims European Tour title in Germany appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
A pair of prominent Americans threatened to claim the Porsche European Open title in Germany, but in the end it was a journeyman from England who emotionally hugged his caddy on the 18th hole.

Richard McEvoy has had almost the opposite career from Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau, struggling for 17 years to find his way in professional golf. Five times the 39-year-old, a former GB&I Walker Cup player, went to European Tour Q school after winning medalist honors there in 2002 (and twice falling back to the Challenge Tour). But with a closing one-over 73 at Green Eagle Golf Course in Hamburg, McEvoy won for the first time in 285 European Tour starts.

It wasn’t pretty. McEvoy started the day in a tie for first with DeChambeau, then proceeded to make five bogeys, never looking as if he was in control of the tournament. But there was plenty of ugly to go around.

Reed, just one stroke back after rounds of 70-66-69, made five bogeys of his own on Sunday, including four through the first 13 holes, to close with a 76 and finish tied for ninth.

DeChambeau, meanwhile, bogeyed two of his first five holes but a birdie on the eighth seemed to settle the 24-year-old down. He had held the lead or a share of it after every round this week, an impressive feat after a video of a range session he had on Thursday at the Open Championship at Carnoustie showed him struggling mightily with his swing.

RELATED: Bryson DeChambeau is leading one week after epic driving-range meltdown

At 11 under par, the recent PGA Tour winner at the Memorial still had a one-stroke edge on McEvoy on the 15th hole. But trying to go for the green in two on the 583-yard par 5, DeChambeau’s second shot sailed right into the water guarding the green. He scrambled for a bogey, while McEvoy made a 15-footer for birdie, the two-stroke swing quickly changing the tournament’s complexion.

Ahead of the pair, Italy’s Renato Paratore made a birdie on the last hole to finish with a 70 and post 10 under as the clubhouse. Amateur Allen John from Germany and Christofer Blomstrand from Sweden got to 10 under with birdies on the last hole.

McEvoy fell back to 10 under after a bogey on the 17th, and DeChambeau was at nine under after he made bogey on the 16th (after a wild tee shot), as the pair teed off on the par-5 18th. When DeChambeau pulled his drive into the water, however, his chance at victory was sunk. He’d finish with a triple-bogey 8 (having hit his third shot in the water as well) for a closing 78 and fall all the way into a tie for 12th.

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
DeChambeau’s wayward second shot on the 15th and drive on the 18th cost him the tournament title.

McEvoy found the fairway, and after a lengthy conversation with his caddie decided to lay-up with his second shot. A wedge over water to 20 foot, set up a birdie chance that would change his career. When the putt fell, McEvoy’s reaction was priceless.

An absolute life-changer! @RichardMcEvoy79 just poured in a walk-off birdie to win at the #PEOGolf! pic.twitter.com/WXGHxUpRGs

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 29, 2018

“Incredible,” McEvoy said. “I fought hard. I believed. Even at the last hole, I overpowered by caddie to lay up and give my best opportuntuty to make birdie.”

McEvoy says there were signs in recent weeks that the breakthrough win was on the horizon. He played in a pro-am at England’s Queenwood Golf Club and shot a 64, beating Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Adam Scott among others. And opposite the Open at Carnoustie last week, McEvoy won the Challenge Tour event in France, his third career win on the circuit. He is the first golfer to follow a Challenge Tour win with a European Tour victory since 2010.

The reaction on social media from players McEvoy grew up playing with hinted that it wasn’t just an emotional victory for the golfer himself, but others, too.

Brilliant @RichardMcEvoy79 Congratulations ?

— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) July 29, 2018

I can honestly say that seeing @RichardMcEvoy79 get that first @EuropeanTour win after all of those years of hard work and patience is my favourite golfing moment of 2018 so far.. what a putt to hole to achieve it too.. well done Macca, we could not be happier for you mate

— Nick Dougherty (@NickDougherty5) July 29, 2018

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