Now, four events into life in the paid ranks and the 24-year-old Englishman is celebrating his maiden victory after edging former European Tour player Victor Riu by a stroke at the $75,000 Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open.

“This is amazing and very satisfying,” said the Malton and Norton Golf Club member who carded a one-under 71 in difficult conditions in Riffa to win with a nine-under, 207 total.

“I have been thinking of turning professional for more than a year now and always had my doubts about it. I felt I was on a good run when I played the MENA Tour Qualifying School, and thought it was a good time to make the decision. This win definitely validates it.”

After an inauspicious start to his pro career when rounds of 81-77 saw him miss the cut at the season-opening Journey to Jordan #1 Championship, Hague has shown the class that saw him represent Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup and rise to as high as 76th in the amateur world rankings. He was runner-up to Frenchman Sébastien Gros at the NEWGIZA Open in Cairo and 11th at last week’s Ghala Open. The $13,500 cheque for winning in Bahrain means he is just $784 behind countryman David Langley in the season-long Journey to Jordan Order-of-Merit race which rewards the circuit’s top players with European and Asian Tour starts.

Chris Garrity, General Manager of Royal Golf Club, with David Hague and low amateur Saud Al Sharif.

Hague started the final round with a one-stroke lead but was trailing at the turn after making a double bogey on the 7th, allowing Scot Ryan Lumsden to surging ahead courtesy of an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole.

But Hague made three birdies on the back nine as against a solitary bogey on the 12th hole, including a crucial one on the par-4 15th hole, which was playing very tough into the headwind. It was a two-shot swing against both Lumsden and Riu, his closest rivals, who dropped shots on the same hole.

“I drove consistently well this whole week and that really was the key to my winning. I struggled with my putter from inside six feet and made several three-putts – something I need to work on.

“When I was trailing at the turn, I knew I needed to be patient because the back nine of this golf course has been pretty good to me. And yes, that birdie on the 15th was a key moment for me.”

Lumsden (71) and Callum Fyfe (70) were tied third at -7 alongside England’s Ben Hutchinson (67) and Sweden’s Henric Sturehed (68) – the two best cards on a day when players had to battle through occasional drizzle and steady high wind at the Colin Montgomerie-designed Royal Golf Club.

Saud Al Sharif.

Saud Al Sharif, a member of the Saudi National Team and the host club, could not replicate the stunning performance from the second round and slipped down the leaderboard with an 81 in his first experience of playing in the leading group of a professional event. However, his two-over-par total was still good enough to win him the Low Amateur of the Tournament prize.

“It was a tough day on the golf course, but I wanted to do better than what I did,” said the 19-year-old.

“However, this is my first time in a situation like this and I am sure I have learned a lot on how to handle things in the future. This experience will make me a better player,”.

The MENA Tour travels to Aqaba, Jordan, for the $75,000 Journey to Jordan #2 next week.

The post Englishman David Hague captures Bahrain Open in just his fourth pro start appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Bahrain-based Saudi national team rep will start the final round of the $75,000 event on Wednesday tied for second with Frenchman Antoine Schwartz (70), just a shot behind English leader David Hague.

A second-round 66, the lowest score on a tough Tuesday in Riffa, has Al Sharif posed to join Rayhan Thomas, Pierre Junior Verlaar, Robin ‘Tiger’ Williams and Josh Hill as amateur champions on the Pro-Am regional development citcuit.

“Of course, I know this golf course better than everyone else. But playing at home also brings a lot of pressure and hopefully, I can handle it tomorrow as well as I did today,” said Al Sharif.

And handle Tuesday well he did.

“It is such an amazing day,” said Al Sharif who mixed seven birdies with a bogey on a day of swirling wind, a week after sensationally making the cut in Oman last week by holing out his second shot on the par-4 17th hole for an eagle before birding the last.

“I had an unbelievable round, my lowest ever on the MENA Tour. My putter was on fire. I made putts from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. Come to think of it, my short game was something that was holding me back. I have been working really hard on my putting and chipping with Jamie McConnell at the Claude Harmon Performance Institute in Dubai and it is showing result.”

David Hague.

Hague, who turned pro after MENA Tour by Arena Qualifying School and recently finished runner-up at the NEWGIZA Open in Cairo, has complied rounds of 66-70 to lead on -8, 136.

The Englishman drove his opening hole – the reachable par-4 10th – and started in the best possible way with an eagle. He made the turn at five-under-par before two three-putts and a poor tee shot on the par-3 7th led to leaked shots.

A birdie on the last helped him close with a 70 and gave him a one-shot cushion going into the final round.

“I was playing really well and was 12-under par at one stage. It’s disappointing to finish at two-under, but I am happy that I managed to reach eight-under-par. The conditions were quite difficult out there with the wind,” said Hague.

Schwartz, who is looking for his first win on the MENA Tour, was rewarded for his patience with two birdies in his last two holes – the 8th and 9th – both playing very difficult in the wind.

“It was a tough day and I just tried to remain patient. It was a good finish with the two birdies and I am looking forward to tomorrow. Getting into contention is the main thing in golf and if I am within one or two shots of the leader tomorrow going into the back nine, I will be happy and give it my best shot,” said Schwartz, who is a member of the Challenge Tour.

Overnight leader Joel Girrbach (72) of Sweden fell to tied fourth place at six-under-par 138 alongside the promising Irishman Ryan Lumsden (67) and resurgent Frenchman Victor Riu (67).

Journey to Jordan leader David Langley made successive eagles on the ninth and 10th holes after making a double bogey on the second hole and was in the group at five-under-par.

The post Saudi amateur Saud Al Sharif takes advantage of home course advantage, in Bahrain, to have a shot at MENA Tour glory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Max Kramer, Joel Girrbach and David Hague share the opening-round lead at the MENA Tour’s $75,000 Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open and equally fascinating background stories as topsy-turvy as their respective 66s on Monday.

Kramer perhaps edges the story behind the top of the leaderboard story stakes after being diagnosed with an arrhythmic heart and being reduced to just four EuroPro Tour starts last year.

Girrbach is also making a comeback after losing his European Tour card last season following a disappointing run to 229th place in the Race to Dubai. His opening gambit in Riffa was even more remarkable as it was his first competitive round in three months and included successive bogeys at the 7th and 8th holes to drop back to even par before he played his final 10 holes in six-under.

Hague, meanwhile, only turned pro of the MENA Tour by Arena Q-School and has made another early statement of intent after recently finishing runner-up at the NEWGIZA Open in Cairo. His was an even better recovery than Girrbach’s; one-over-par after eight holes Hague rattled off five birdies and a spectacular holed-out eagle from a fairway bunker on the 17th.

Given he is simply happy to be back playing after last year’s health scare, Kramer was doubly delighted with his start to the regional development circuit’s fourth event of 2020.

“I had played a few events at the start of 2019, but I wasn’t feeling very good. I went to the doctor and they found out I had arrhythmia of heart,” said the Dusseldorf-based 36-year-old, a former German national amateur team-mate of two-time major champion Martin Kaymer.

“It was very scary when we found out because this is no age to get a heart condition. However, after three months of complete rest, I am much better.

“Today was an amazing round for me. I was seven-under-par through the first 10 holes with an eagle on the third and on the par-4 10th. I played the last eight in one-over, but I am so happy with this round. Especially with what happened last year, and also the way I played last week in Oman where I shot an 11-over par round and was hitting the ball over the place.”

Max, the BraveHeart!
Germany’s Max Kramer played just 4 events on @PGAEuroProTour before he was diagnosed with an arrhythmic heart.
After 3 months of forced rest, Kramer, once a teammate of @MKaymer59, is back playing golf.
On Monday, he shot a 66 to lead Royal GC Bahrain Open. pic.twitter.com/AaO7xlsCbu

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 24, 2020

Girrbach, who graduated to the European Tour last season, took nearly three months off from competitive golf to get his game back in shape after his Race to Dubai disappointment, including a long trip to South Africa to work with his coach, Dougie Wood.

“I haven’t played a competitive round after missing out at the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School. It was a disappointing season and I put in a lot of work in my technique. This is the first competing round for me to see where my game is and I am very pleased,” said Girrbach.

Joel Girrbach

“I felt ready after the winter work and I was looking for tournaments to play. With my category on the Challenge Tour, I will only be able to play events from May. So, I asked a few friends and they all highly recommended the MENA Tour. I asked for an invite and here I am.

“I made a couple of mistakes towards the end of my front nine and I just tried to be aggressive after that. I drove the green on the par-4 10th, and nearly drove the green on the par-4 11th. Those two birdies were a good start to the back nine and I just continued from there.”

The consistent Hague was relishing a fast start, having opened with a 72 in finishing second at NEWGIZA Open and a 69 in tied 10th place at Ghala Open last week.

“I drove it really well all day and kept it in play even though I did not start that well. Made two three-putts from the fringe and was one-over-par after eight. I just told myself to remain patient and the birdies would come, and that’s exactly what happened,” said Hague.

“The eagle on 17th was nice towards the end of the round. I hit it into the right bunker and had 142 yards from there. Hit a good shot and it took a couple of bounces and went in.”

Frenchman Antoine Schwartz was alone in fourth place at five-under-par 67, while there was a group of six players at 68 – Scotsman Scott Henry, the Irish duo of Paul McBride and Robin Dawson, Sweden’s Mathias Weiderman and the English pair of Tom Combe and Mitch Waite.

Saudi Arabia’s Bahrain-based Saud Al Sharif, a member of Royal Golf Club, was the leading amateur at one-under-par 71.

Day 1 has come to a close in the @royalgolfclub Bahrain Open. These are the leading scores:

66 – @joelgirrbach, @dhague96, Max Kramer
67 – Antoine Schwartz
6 players tied at 68

Scores here:https://t.co/AvIGzUhuKb pic.twitter.com/TiMmjZ8Q8K

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 24, 2020

The post A three-way tie for the opening round lead in Bahrain throws up a trio of fascinating backstories appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 24-year-old from Southampton played five events in the 2019 season and was inside the top-12 in all of them including back-to-back second-place finishes in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. He missed the first three tournaments of 2020 because he was playing the Challenge Tour events in South Africa, where he finished tied fourth in the RAM Cape Town Open.

“It’s pretty amazing what happens when you have a bit of confidence in the system,” said Ellis, winner of the 2017 Amateur Championship and the 2012 England Amateur.

“I feel a lot calmer and I feel in pretty sound place mentally. I am able to hit the shots I want to on the golf course. My team and I have put in a lot of hard work and we know it will take some time, but we have built a solid foundation. I am in a good golf-playing mode, which is nice not having to work on too many things. It’s a case of putting the rounds together and the results will come hopefully.”

Ellis played the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open last year and was tied seventh. Interestingly, his 73 in the second round was the last time he was over-par on the MENA Tour and his last 10 rounds have all been in the 60s.

“It would be lovely to keep the streak going, but it is not something I am thinking too much about. Obviously, it is always healthy for your position on the leaderboard, or your psychic, if you keep shooting in the 60s,” said Ellis.

“This week, the course is set up so well that it is possible, but I am just trying to go out and be the best that I can be. We will see what happens, but I’d definitely like to be in contention.”

Ellis will have plenty of competition, with the current Journey to Jordan leader David Langley in great form after winning in Jordan and finishing second last week in Ghala. Also returning to the MENA Tour this week is the former European Tour player Jamie Rutherford, who took a two-week break after his scorching finish at Ayla Golf Club, where he finished runner-up to Langley.

“I went back home for a couple of weeks, did some work with my coach and practiced as much as I could because the weather is so bad in England right now,” said Rutherford.

Jamie Rutherford

“It is great to come back to Royal Golf Club where I was fourth last year. I just love the challenge of this golf course. It is fairly generous off the tee, but you have got to really precise with your irons with how slopy the greens are and all the sections they can put the flag in. You’ve got to be in control of your distance and where you put your ball on the green. That, I feel, is a strength of mine.”

England’s Bailey Gill, the champion last week at the Ghala Open in Muscat, and South Africa’s MG Keyser, the reigning Journey to Jordan Professional champion, will miss the tournament but for very good reasons. Gill got into this week’s Oman Open on the European Tour, courtesy his win at Ghala, while Keyser qualified for next week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, also on the European Tour, by winning the qualifiers in Doha.

Reigning champion Robin Roussell has graduated to the European Tour and will also miss the event.

The post Ellis eyes breakthrough win at Bahrain Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Bailey Gill planned to tee it up at the $75,000 Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open next week. Instead he’ll be rubbing shoulders with the likes for former world No.1 Martin Kaymer at the European Tour’s Oman Open, an event with a cool million extra greenbacks on the line. Amazing, potentially life-changing things like that happen to good players on the MENA Tour by Arena.

The 22-year-old Englishman was trying to get his head around the sudden change of plans after capturing the $13,500 winner’s cheque at the Ghala Open on Wednesday.

The Worksop lefty birdied his last three holes and five of his last six in a bogey-free 65 to get to -15 and win by one from overnight leader and room-mate David Langley. Scot Craig Ross, who briefly owned the lead by two strokes at the turn, settled for third at -12, a shot ahead of impressive Dubai-based Indian teen Arjun Gupta who signed for a bogey-free 66 and his best MENA Tour result. Gupta played his final 36-holes in 11-under-par to seal his second amateur title on the regional development circuit after he shared that honour with pal Josh Hill at last November’s Tour Championship.

CHAMPIONS!!
England’s @baileygill1997 (16-under par) and India’s Arjun Gupta are the Professional and Amateur winners of the Ghala Open.
Gill’s reward, apart from the $13,500 cheque, is a spot in next week’s Oman Open on the @EuropeanTour. pic.twitter.com/Ko88ScAd8z

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 19, 2020

But this was Gill’s day, a scarcely believable pro breakthrough after he wasted a golden opportunity at the inaugural NEWGIZA Open last week.

The southpaw started the final round in Cairo just a shot out of the lead but faded to a share of 12th. They say you learn most not from your victories but your disappointments and that clearly proved the case after Gill signed for a closing two-over 74 at NEWGIZA Golf Club, the equal worst score of anyone who finished in the top 40.

“This is fantastic,” said Gill. “I have been waiting for some time now for this to happen. It did not happen in Cairo, but I am glad I could hang on and win here in Oman.

“I was disappointed last week, but I came here knowing I was playing solid. I have been playing good golf for some time now, just struggling to get everything together and I am glad I managed to do that.”

Get it done he surely did, but not without a few nerve-jangling moments down the stretch. Twice on the last two holes weak, pushed drives looked to have cost the Lindrick Golf Club member but he recovered both times with a pair of spectacular chips to tap-in range. Check them out:

With this exquisite chip to less than 2 feet, @baileygill1997 has taken a one-shot lead at -15 going into the final hole of the Ghala Open. pic.twitter.com/928YvaYwVR

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 19, 2020

That brilliant chip by @baileygill1997 left him with his short putt to make a birdie and edge ahead of a fast-charging @DavidLangley59 by one shot… pic.twitter.com/aMI7p7tLlh

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 19, 2020

“Those two were tough shots on the last two holes. I hit a horrible tee shot on the 18th hole and there was a lot of pressure when David holed his putt for a birdie on the last. David really played great despite the poor start he had, especially on that back nine.”

“I’m delighted to win the Ghala Open and I can’t wait to get going next week at the Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf. It will be my first European Tour event so I’m really looking forward to the challenge of playing with some of the best golfers in the world.

“I have only been a professional now for around five months so I’m really happy this opportunity has come to me so soon and I hope I can take advantage of it.”

Langley, seeking a second MENA Tour title inside three weeks, was left to rue a double-bogey start in a topsy-turvy closing 67. The 25-year-old Marlow rookie bounced back immediately with a birdie two but bogeyed the par-5 3rd before reaching the turn in 38 strokes, two over. He triggered a charge by driving it just short of the 375-yard par-4 10th and coolly holing the eagle putt before rattling off five birdies in his final seven holes for a homeward nine played in 29 strokes.

One of our spectators took this video of @DavidLangley59 driving to the edge of the 375-yard par-4 10th green and sinking his eagle putt to get back to even par for the round. pic.twitter.com/fxExKMJtzn

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 19, 2020

Sadly for Langley, the brilliant back-nine left him just shy of playoff although he does have the consolation of a near $10,000 lead over Gill in the Journey to Jordan money-race heading to Bahrain.

“I am gutted, but after that finish, if I had to lose to someone, I’d rather it be Bailey,” said the 25-year-old, also playing his first full season as a professional.

“I was rooming with him last week in Cairo and I know how upset he was after the finish there and credit to him for getting it done.

“I hit a perfect tee shot on the first and made a poor swing with my second. Obviously, the adrenaline was pumping a bit. That double affected me on the fourth hole, which is a par-5 and I could not make a birdie there. Being two-over after four on an easier stretch was not ideal, but I stayed patient and went on a roll on the back nine.

“A win here would have possibly got me two European Tour starts [Oman for winning Ghala Open and Hassan Trophee II for topping the Journey to Jordan at the halfway stage], so there was that pressure. Good to see Bailey getting the Oman spot and I am in a nice position to get into Morocco after this.”

Gupta, who turns 16 in May, showed once again why he is considered one of the brightest prospects in the region as he notched his first top-five on the MENA Tour and came to within one shot of earning his first-ever Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

Arjun Gupta played his final 36-holes in 11-under-par.

“I am happy with my finish. The whole week my short game and my putting was very good. I could have probably driven the ball a bit better, but I can’t complain after such a finish,” said the Dubai-born Gupta, who is coached by Jamie McConnell at the Claude Harmon III Performance Golf Academy in Dubai.

“I want to win the Amateur Journey to Jordan this year and this is a good step in that direction. I also want to win a tournament on the MENA Tour and this gives me confidence that I am close.”

Final scores from Ghana Open:

-16 – @baileygill1997
-15 – @DavidLangley59
-12 – @CraigRoss64
-11 – Arjun Gupta (Am)
-10 – @alf1e_p, @PavanSagooo, Curtis Knipes, Benjamin Jones (Am), @PaulMcBride0

Full scores here:https://t.co/970IwPtaoz pic.twitter.com/ZKEmYkFP5u

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 19, 2020

The post Bailey Gill wins Ghala Open as Dubai teen Arjun Gupta records best MENA Tour finish appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.