Congratulations go to Cole Madey, who took home the King Hamad Trophy with an impressive score of -12 for the 54-hole event.

Also, a mention to Ahmed Al-Zayed, who was crowned the best Bahraini player of the tournament. Both Cole and Ahmed have qualified for the DP World Tour’s Bahrain Championship in February as the event returns to The Kingdom of Bahrain after a 15 year absence.

The closing ceremony was witnessed by His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of the General Sports Authority, and President of the Olympic Committee.

Final Results:
1st Place – Cole Madey, Gross (-12)
2nd Place – Tom Plumb – Gross (-9)
3rd Place – Gary King – Gross (-8)

Image: The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain

The post Cole Madey captures The 15th King Hamad Trophy at Royal Golf Club, Bahrain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On the clubs annual ‘Captain’s Day’, Abdulla Al Khalifa and Lauga Sigfusdottir were unveiled as the Mens and Ladies Captains respectively.

Congratulations are also in order to James Blackwell who took home first place on the Captain’s Day with a score of 42 stableford points.

With that victory, James also secures himself a spot in the DP World Tour’s Bahrain Championship Pro-Am which is being held at Royal Golf Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain on the week commencing January 29th 2024.

The DP World Tour will be making it’s return to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the first time in 13 years.

The post Royal Golf Club Bahrain announce new Club Captains appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The DP World Tour has marked its long-awaited return to Bahrain with a special signing ceremony in the Kingdom.

The tour is set to return to the Middle East nation for the first time in 13 years with the Bahrain Championship scheduled to take place at Royal Golf Club from February 1-4, 2024.

The announcement of the tournament, which will be held under the patronage of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was marked by a signing ceremony by Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa alongside DP World Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley.

“We are pleased to host the Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” said Sheikh Khaled. “This championship, which forms part of what is an elite professional golf tournament series, is organised in cooperation between the Royal Golf Club, the General Sports Authority, the Bahrain Olympic Committee, and the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.

“Golf is a sport that receives major support and sponsorship from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain. His Majesty is a passionate practitioner and enthusiast of this sport, which reflects His Majesty’s great interest in and support for sports and athletes. His Majesty is the foremost athlete in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

“We take pride in hosting this international championship, where a constellation of professional players will compete at the Royal Golf Club. Organising this event is part of our continued commitment to supporting various sports, including golf, which is one of the most important sports at the global level. We have full confidence in the success of this championship, thanks to the cooperation and integration between various civil and governmental entities in presenting it in the best possible manner.

“Through embracing this championship, we aim to elevate Bahrain’s position and showcase its capabilities in hosting sporting events. We also want to emphasise our commitment to the development of golf in the Kingdom. We wish all participants continued success and prosperity.”

Faris Mustafa Al Kooheji, Secretary General of Bahrain Olympic Committee, added: “We are thrilled to welcome back the DP World Tour to Bahrain. Golf is a game, not only of great skill, but one which showcases the highest levels of sportsmanship, fairness and etiquette and one which the Kingdom is proud to support and encourage. Through hosting the Bahrain Championship and welcoming some of the best golfers in the world, we are underlining our commitment to this wonderful sport.”

An initiative has been put in place between the Bahrain Olympic Committee and the DP World Tour which will see local golfers awarded spots to compete in the tournament, with a minimum of two places reserved for Bahraini players. Two amateur spots will be up for grabs at the Bahrain Amateur Open, taking place from October 12-14. The overall winner plus a spot for the leading Bahraini amateur will be awarded. Additionally, the leading Bahraini as well as the winner of the King Hamad Trophy, played November 23-25, will tee it up alongside the DP World Tour professionals in the Bahrain Championship.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said: “I would firstly like to thank His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa for welcoming us to the Kingdom of Bahrain as we launch a new event on our International Schedule.

“The Bahrain Championship will mark the DP World Tour’s return to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the first time since 2011 and helps form part of our International Swing of events.

“We are excited to return to Bahrain in February as we continue to showcase our diverse array of tournaments in different countries and cultures across the world.”

The event, which has a prize fund of $2.5 million, takes place at the Royal Golf Club, where the course has undergone extensive upgrades, with a number of greens on the front nine having been redesigned, to ensure it is in prime condition to welcome the stars of the DP World Tour.

“We are delighted to have been chosen as the host venue for the DP World Tour’s visit in 2024,” said Waleed Al Alawi, Chairman of the Royal Golf Club. “This tournament will shine a spotlight on Bahrain’s sports scene and will further establish the Royal Golf Club as a leading golfing destination in the region. We are excited to welcome the world’s top golfers to our esteemed club and showcase the beauty of our country.”

The post DP World Tour gears up for long-awaited return to Bahrain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
In November 2017, we ran the inspiring story of Luke Joy’s victory at the 10th King Hamad Trophy, quoting from the refreshingly honest online blog the Abu Dhabi-based English professional pens.

Fast forward to last week and the 31-year-old was at it again, except this time his second victory in three attempts in Bahrain prompted a more solemn, introspective post. 

The first victory produced a bright respite from the mostly warts and all account of his challenging 2017. His latest post, however, has put his improved golfing fortunes, and the love of his life, sharply in focus.

RELATED: Joy confident MENA Tour lessons can (finally) help him crack European Tour Q-School

Luke and Lauren Joy

Joy takes up the personal story which both he and wife Lauren hope might help other couples: “This year has been probably my hardest to date. My performance [he also won on the EuroPro Tour] and golfing ability has been getting better and better thanks to the guys I have around me, but I didn’t quite realise how my golf would mean absolutely nothing to me with Lauren, my wife, being sick.”

After twice having her “horrendous” stomach and back pain misdiagnosed in the UAE, Lauren Joy sought a third opinion from a London specialist over the summer. She had a laparoscopy and was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis, a painful inflammatory condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found outside the uterus.

“My wife is a personal trainer, fit, in great shape and when she could barely walk for three to five days a month, horrendous stomach and back pain, we knew that the advice and pills we had been given [in the UAE] were wrong,” said Joy.

“We found out that it is very common but vastly misdiagnosed and often put down to period pain. Lauren’s case is slightly different as she is riddled with it, hence stage four, and the MRI showed it had spread to her bladder so she is having bladder surgery alongside removing the endometriosis.”

“She has had two injections in her stomach to limit the pain but the side effects bring on symptoms conducive to menopause. For a 27-year-old, going through all of this… it has been a tough year for Lauren and without the surgery happening now it would also make it almost impossible for us to start a family, something we both really want.

“I can’t heap more praise on Lauren for how she has dealt with it all. I’m so proud of her and if this helps one person/wife of a reader of this magazine then she will be happy opening up about it.” 

Lauren is due to have surgery in London this week. The long term outlook for her husband has vastly changed too.

Luke and Lauren Joy in FFA (“Forced Festive Attire”) during their Abu Dhabi Christmas last year.

“We’re in the process of getting her better with surgery but when I saw her in so much pain this summer it put things in perspective really quickly. I have dedicated half my life to golf but when we found out the severity of things in the summer and how much it would cost to put right, I was ready to throw in the towel to get a normal job to pay the medical bills.

“If it wasn’t for Lauren and my family being totally against the idea and supporting me, I would have stopped playing in a heartbeat and I think this week’s performance was a good way to cement that the wife is always right.

“It’s always great to get back in the winner’s circle and playing with something on the line, it’s the reason I get up in the morning and practice. This win was great and it’s a huge relief to get a cheque that will help take care of some of the bills that will be coming up.”

For golfing prosperity, Joy carded rounds of 71, 68 and an impressive eight-under 64 around Royal Golf Club to storm from six shots back starting the final round to -13 and into a playoff. He then edged fellow Brit Sean Towndrow in overtime to be crowned the 12th King Hamad Trophy champion.

Luke Joy | Blog https://t.co/EGte6RoUT1 @YasLinksGC @RemedyOak @mboltpga @KingHamadTrophy pic.twitter.com/ERun9aef9y

— Luke Joy (@JoyBoy59) December 6, 2019

“To say it was a bit of a whirlwind trip is quite the understatement,” said the MENA Tour regular who also plays on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour and the EuroPro Tour.

“I wasn’t actually going to play the event this week, as to be honest funds are pretty limited at the moment and I had my brother in Abu Dhabi visiting for the F1. As it turned out I flew to Bahrain on the morning of the opening round as I had played the course many times before and when the organisers kindly offered to sort out my hotel for the week to keep my costs down and as a past champion, I wanted to support the event, even if my preparation was not exactly going to be ideal. It turned out to be a good decision.”

The post Joy tempered as pro reveals wife’s illness after second King Hamad Trophy win in Bahrain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
It will still be known as the ‘Journey to Jordan’ but that’s about where the similarities between the current MENA Tour by Arena season and new-look 2020 schedule end. 

New events in Oman and the UAE – the latter an Alfred Dunhill Links Championship-style Pro-Am over 54 holes – two multi-venue tournaments (albeit at familiar courses) and a $25,000 increase in the purse for the season-ending tour championship headline next season’s schedule unveiled today.

RELATED: Arena become ‘umbrella sponsor’ of MENA Tour

Also gone for 2020 are the current spring and autumn swings, replaced instead by a condensed four-month season, again encompassing a two-stage Qualifying School at Ayla G.C. in late January. Q-School is immediately followed by the first event of the season proper, the Journey to Jordan #1 Championship, also at Ayla Golf Club.

With Aqaba in Jordan back as the tour’s destination partner, Ayla G.C. will again host four events (Q-School and three main season stops) including The Arena (Tour) Championship. The April 19-23 Journey to Jordan decider will be 72-holes for the first time since the 2017 Tour Championship, features an increased prize fund of $125,000 and becomes a full-field event for the first time in what will be the eighth season of the MENA Tour.

The increased playing opportunities and increased Official World Golf Ranking points (five OWGR points to the Arena Championship winner as it has become a four-round event) are by design, not necessity. David Spencer, Strategic Advisor to the MENA Tour, explains the rationale behind the radical rejig.

“There are two very good reasons why we decided to have the Tour schedule packed in one continuous stretch rather than have two legs in Spring and an Autumn,” said Spencer.

“Most development Tours do not start until the end of April, mostly because of the playing conditions in Europe. We are fortunate to have perfect weather in the Middle East during that period. This gives our players a solid run of tournaments, which is great preparation for them going into the summer. Also, it just simplifies things logistically for our players and makes the cost of ‘life’ on the Tour more affordable.

“With the multitude of playing opportunities we provide on European, Asian and the Challenge Tours, the new-look schedule dovetails perfectly with the other Tours.”

RELATED: MENA Tour breakthrough a ‘massive” confidence boost for Allan

The first of the circuit’s new events, the Muscat Open, is to be hosted by at Muscat Hills from Feb. 10-13. The Muscat Open is the first of back-to-back events in Oman ahead of The Ghala Open at Ghala Golf Club (Feb. 16-19).

Muscat Hills G.C.

Troon International venues will feature prominently in the circuit’s new multi-course events. The first, the ‘Triple Crown’ in March, will be co-hosted by Yas Links, Saadiyat Beach G.C. and Abu Dhabi G.C. while Al Hamra has joined forces with existing host venue Al Zorah in Ajman to co-host the Northern Emirates Open.

In another first, the MENA Tour by Arena Invitational Pro-Am will be modelled on the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. A venue and purse for the MENA Tour’s iteration has yet to be announced but it will be staged in the UAE and is in the schedule for Mar. 22-25, the week after Abu Dhabi’s Triple Crown.

A minimum of 30 players from each stage of Q-School will secure their cards for the season.

MENA TOUR BY ARENA – 2020 SCHEDULE
Jan. 20-23: Qualifying School A – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($6,000)
Jan. 26-29: Qualifying School B – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($6,000)
Feb. 2-5: Journey to Jordan #1 – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($75,000)
Feb. 10-13: The Muscat Open – Muscat Hills GC, Muscat, Oman ($75,000)
Feb. 16-19: The Ghala Open – Ghala GC, Muscat, Oman ($75,000)
Feb. 23-26: The Bahrain Open – Royal GC, Bahrain ($75,000)
Mar. 1-4: Journey to Jordan #2 – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($75,000)
Mar. 15-18: The Triple Crown – Yas Links/Saadiyat Beach GC/Abu Dhabi GC ($75,000)
Mar. 22-25: MENA Tour by Arena Invitational Pro-Am – UAE TBA (Purse TBA)
Mar. 29-April 1: Ras Al Khaimah Open – Tower Links GC, RAK ($75,000)
April 5-8: Northern Emirates Open – Al Hamra GC, RAK/Al Zorah GC, Ajman ($75,000)
April 12-15 TBA – Venue TBA ($75,000)
April 19-23 The Arena Championship – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($125,000)

The post Innovative events and new venues highlight ‘condensed’ 2020 MENA Tour schedule appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A closing 68 saw the 32-year-old South African double the two-stroke advantage he took into the final round at Dubai Hills Golf Club to win by four from Englishman Matthew Baldwin and seal his third victory on the regional Pro-Am circuit.

The $13,500 payday saw Keyser jump to second in the Journey to Jordan race with $23,650 after four of five spring swing events – $3350 behind money list leader Baldwin.

The top five players heading into the Troon-Series – Royal Golf Bahrain Open beginning Monday – Baldwin, Keyser, Daniel Gaunt (Australia), Nick Marsh (England) and Erik Jonasson (Sweden) – could emerge top of the Spring Swing which carries an invite to the European Tour’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia (Mar. 21-24).

It’s not just the Malaysia Open invite that will have the leaders on tenterhooks; the top five players at the conclusion of the 54-hole Bahrain Open on Wednesday will be rewarded with the second placed player headed to the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco (April 25-29), third to the new Jordan Mixed Open at Ayla G.C. (April 4-6) while Asian Tour invites to the Indonesian Masters (July 4-7) and Indonesian Open (Aug. 15-18) await the fourth and fifth-placed players respectively.

Keyser already has a Challenge Tour start at the Slovakia Challenge (July 4-7) to look forward to after outlasting Baldwin (70) and Frenchman Antoine Schwartz (72).

#LiveUpdates

Troon Series – Dubai Open presented by @T_A_Golf@KeyserMG – our champion!#HBFS #JourneyToJordan pic.twitter.com/80cReezscJ

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) March 7, 2019

“It’s a great feeling. I have won at least once every year since 2016 and it is great to get a ‘W’ so early in the year. This is going to do be great for my season,” said the Jumeirah Golf Estates-attached Keyser.

“I knew it would be difficult to follow the 61 with a low round again. So, I told myself to just avoid making any bogeys and then I’d be hard to catch, especially if the wind picks up. And that’s exactly what happened.

Keyser’s couldn’t quite go bogey-free after dropping a shot on the Dubai Hills’ 13th but had five birdies to finish on 19-under par 197

“Both Matthew and Antoine were playing very well and it got tight towards the end. But that birdie on the 17th was the deal-sealer. It was a nice, low-spinning four-iron there. I have just changed my shafts in my irons and the new ones really helped me out there in the wind.”

Baldwin, winner of the B Stage of Qualifying School and Journey To Jordan-1, the inaugural event of the 2019 season, kept it interesting until the end before an unfortunate bogey on the difficult par-3 17th hole proved crucial.

The 32-year-old from Southport had a poor third hole where he made a double bogey, but did not give up. He kept chipping at Keyser’s lead and on the 17th tee, the duo was separated by just one shot.

But Baldwin’s three-iron tee shot got caught in the stiff headwind and came up short, wedged in the rocks fronting the water. He had to take a drop and made a bogey. On the other hand, Keyser smashed a 4-iron safely to 25 feet and made the putt to go ahead by three.

A bogey by Baldwin on the last hole, where Keyser laid up into the fairway bunker and then hit a beautiful third shot to three feet, ensured the final score.

Baldwin may have lost the chance to win a second title this season, but he was pleased for Keyser and also the way he fought back from the double bogey on the third hole.

“It was not to be today and MG played great golf, but at least I pushed him until the 17th hole,” said the Englishman who continues to lead the Journey To Jordan (Order of Merit).

BITE-SIZE INTERVIEW
(With Matt Baldwin)@MattBaldwin26 put up a stunning fight despite an early double bogey in the final round of the Troon Series – Dubai Open presented by @T_A_Golf.

He talks about his day and the incident at the 17th hole…#HBFS #JourneyToJordan pic.twitter.com/Nh1NNy2UTH

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) March 7, 2019

“I was first up on the 17th and I knew it was a three-iron for me but not sure if it was a full three-iron or a knock-down. The double at third was all right. I had a lot of golf to play after that and I did manage to come back from that.”

In the Amateur category, there was a tie at the top between England’s Ben Davies (73) and compatriot Jack Floydd (72) at four-under par 212.

Troon Series Dubai Open presented by Turkish Airlines – FINAL SCORE (par-72)
197 – MG Keyser (RSA) 68-61-68
201 – Matthew Baldwin (ENG) 68-63-70
203 – Antoine Schwartz (FRA) 62-69-72
205 – Henric Sturehed (SWE) 73-63-69
206 – Harry Ellis (ENG) 76-64-66
207 – Robert Harrhy (ENG) 71-66-70, Victor Riu (FRA) 69-68-70, Ryan Evans (ENG) 70-65-72
208 – Lionel Weber (FRA) 71-69-68, Benjamin David (ENG) 67-72-69
209 – Stefan Still (GER) 69-72-68, Jack McDonald (SCO) 72-68-69, Christopher Mivis (BEL) 72-67-70, Scott Henry (SCO) 68-70-71, Robin Roussel (FRA) 71-67-71
210 – Daniel Hendry (SCO) 72-69-69, Clemens Prader (AUT) 70-68-72, Erik Jonasson (SWE) 72-66-72, Todd Clements (ENG) 69-68-73, Luke Joy (ENG) 68-69-73
211 – Joshua White (ENG) 72-71-68, Richard Bland (ENG) 71-71-69, James Allan (ENG) 72-68-71, Peter Stojanovski (MAC) 68-71-72, Craig Ross (SCO) 67-71-73, Zane Scotland (ENG) 68-70-73, Tom Shadbolt (ENG) 69-69-73, Jake Ayres (ENG) 68-69-74, Leo Lilja (ESP) 71-66-74

The post Keyser’s Dubai Open triumph sets up thrilling spring swing finale in Bahrain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.