Bailey Gill receives his trophy from Ziyad Al Zubair, after winning the MENA Tour’s Ghala Open with two Houdini-like efforts to get up and down for birdie on the last two holes

LINDRICK’S Bailey Gill made two stunning birdies from almost impossible positions in his last two holes to claim his maiden pro victory and deny Berkshire’s David Langley a second MENA Tour victory in 2020 at the Ghala Open, in Oman.

The former England amateur international beat roommate and Journey to Jordan No. 1 champion David Langley by one shot, in the Omani capital Muscat.

Gill, who hails from Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, like Lee Westwood – but who is a member at Lindrick Golf Club, just over the Yorkshire border – was one behind leader Scot Craig Ross on the 16th tee.

Gill finished with three birdies in a row, including spectacular chips on the 17th and 18th holes to within a couple of feet for a 16-under par finish.

Gill, who was also a member of England’s Raymond Trophy winning team in Lahinch, in September, was one shot behind the leader going into last week’s final round of the inaugural NewGiza Open, in Cairo, but finished tied 12^th.

But Gill was not to be denied this week as he compiled a bogey-free round, that included five birdies in the last six holes.

The highlights were the ones on the 17th and 18th.

On the penultimate hole of the course, the left-hander pushed his drive and was faced with a difficult chip shot over the bunker with very little space to stop the ball.

On the 18th, he hit his tee shot left again and could barely see the flag from the desert area.

Left-hander Bailey Gill, from Lindrick, produced five birdies in his last six holes to deny David Langley – the winner of Journey to Jordan No. 1 – a spot in next week’s Oman Open

On both occasions, the 2016 Welsh Open Youths Strokeplay Champion hit his chips stone dead.

“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,” said Gill.

“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 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.”

Langley bounce back after bad start

LANGLEY, who was looking for his second win of the season, was two-over par at the turn for the day.

But the Castle Royle ace, who was a member of the same Home Internationals team as Gill at Conwy GC, in 2018, went about his back nine in seven-under to finish second on 15-under.

The overnight leader started with a double bogey, but caught fire on the back nine, where he made a 20-footer eagle putt from the fringe on the 10th after nearly driving the green.

“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 – 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-five 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 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.”

Kirkhill’s Craig Ross finished third

Bailey Gill gets into the Oman Open at nearby Al Mouj next week as the Ghala Open while the leader at the halfway stage in the Journey to Jordan Order of Merit earns a spot in the Hassan Trophee II, in Morocco, in early June.

Ross, looking for his first win on the MENA Tour, made a superb par save on the 17^th.

But the EuroPro Tour winner paid the price for a wayward tee shot on the 18th to make a double bogey that dropped him down to 12-under and back into third place.

Ross collected a cheque for $6000 and moved up to sixth on the Journey to Jordan Order of Merit, after the first three events of the season.

Sam Locke – the 2017 Scottish Amateur Champion – was also in the hunt after reaching the turn in four-under. But his challenge faded as he came home in 39, making bogeys at the 12th, 14th and 16th.

•For final scores at the Ghala Open, click here.

Indian Arjun Gupta, who is based in Dubai, produced his best-ever MENA Tour finish

Gupta records best-ever MENA Tour finish

INDIA’S Dubai-based amateur Arjun Gupta recorded his best finish on the MENA Tour courtesy of a bogey-free closing round of 66.

He finished in fourth on 11-under, one ahead of Northamptonshire County’s Ben Jones – the runner-up in last year’s Amateur Championship, who closed with a 66 as well.

Jones was tied fifth alongside Kent’s Alfie Plant (71), Middlesex’s Pavan Sagoo (71) and Essex’s Curtis Knipes (68) along with Ireland’s Walker Cup player Paul McBride (66).

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 points.

“I am happy with my finish. The whole week my short game and my putting was very good,” said Gupta.

“I could have probably driven the ball a bit better, but I can’t complain after such a finish,” added the Dubai-born pro, who is coached by Jamie McConnell at the Claude Harmon Performance Institute.

“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,” said Gupta.

•The MENA Tour moves to Bahrain for the fourth leg of the 2020 season at the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open from February 24-26.

The post Bailey Gill claims his maiden MENA Tour win in Oman to earn European Tour start appeared first on Golf North.

Castle Royle’s David Langley leads the Ghala Open, in Oman, after a seven-under par 65 in the second round in Muscat. But there are five players just a shot behind with a round to go

WITH a spectacular slam-dunk eagle the highlight in his card of seven-under par 65, Castle Royle’s David Langley moved into contention for a possible second title in three weeks on the MENA Tour, in Oman.

The 25-year-old from Marlow, playing in his first full season as a professional, won the Tour’s season-opening Journey to Jordan No. 1 by four shots two weeks ago.

And the former England international will go into the final round of the $75,000 Ghala Open leading by one shot at 10-under par.

Langley, who was named in the provisional Walker Cup squad for the clash with the USA at Hoylake, did a fantastic job of front-running at Ayla Golf Club.

Langley started from the 10th and after a par on his first hole, he holed out his second shot from 84 yards on the par-four 11th – the ball disappearing after pitching right in the hole.

The only bogey of his round came soon after on the 14th hole, but after hitting 16 greens in regulation, he was never in any major trouble after that and also picked up shots on all four par-fives.

“It was a pretty good day,” said Langley, whose maiden win came within weeks of losing his father.

“When you start with an eagle like that, it’s always good,” added Langley.

“I flew it straight into the hole and I feel sorry because I damaged the cup a bit.

“Made a silly error on the 14^th, and missed a short birdie putt on the 17^th, but apart from that, it was solid golf,” said Langley, who moved up to No. 1187 in the world rankings after his win in Jordan.

“I feel confident. I am swinging it really well. I think I have gained strokes in driving every day this season on the MENA Tour and yesterday was probably the only round when I did not gain strokes in putting.

“I played so well in the final round in Egypt, but I guess I was trying too hard over there and shot just two-under when I had a very low one in me that day.

“A tied eighth finish is pretty good, but I learned a lot from that round, and from Jordan. So, hopefully, we can get the job done tomorrow.”

But with five players just one shot behind, including the 2017 Open Championship Silver medalist Alfie Plant (68), it will make for an exciting afternoon at Ghala Golf Club on Wednesday.

Kent’s Alfie Plant who was just one shot behind David Langley in the Ghala Open

Also at nine-under par were the English trio of Pavan Sagoo (67), from Middlesex, Wentworth’s Jake Ayres (68) and Lindrick’s Bailey Gill (67) plus Scotland’s Craig Ross (67), from Kirkhill Golf Club, a winner on the EuroPro Tour two years ago.

The resurgent Sagoo, from Ealing, was unfortunate to make a double bogey with a wayward tee shot coming in on the par-four seventh hole.

Another recent champion, Sebastien Gros was also lurking dangerously after a second straight 68 which left the Frenchman alone on eighth place at eight-under par.

Meanwhile overnight leader and fellow Frenchman Antoine Schwartz (71) was three behind as he attempts to win back-to-back.

Former Scottish Amateur Champion Sam Locke (70), the Silver Medallist as the low amateur at the 2018 Open, and Yorkshire’s in-form David Hague (68) were also three behind the leader at seven-under.

India’s Arjun Gupta was the leading amateur after the second round, courtesy a splendid 67 that took him up to tied 16th place, two ahead of Russian Ivan Striganov (74).

There was also a proud moment for Saudi golf as all three players in the field – professional Othman Almulla and amateurs Saud Al Sharif and Ali Alsakha – made the cut, which fell at two-over par.

The Ghala Open champion gets an added bonus in the form of a spot in next week’s $1.75 million Oman Open on the European Tour.

•For live scoring in the Ghala Open, in Oman, click here.

The post Castle Royle’s Langley lines up second MENA Tour in a fortnight with 65 in Oman appeared first on Golf North.

SIX-under par was the score of the day at the ISPS Handa World Invitational Men | Women, as Scotland’s Craig Ross and Darlington’s Eleanor Givens wrote their names into the record books as first-round leaders.

Ross, who won on the EuroPro Tour last year, carded a 64 at Massereene Golf Club, while England’s Givens signed for her own six-under round with a 67 at the par 73 Galgorm Castle Golf Club.

The pair lead their respective tournaments by one stroke from two competitors.

Five of the top seven players in tied fourth or better in the men’s tournament were playing at Massereene, while 13 of the top 14 in the women’s tournament opened their tournament at Galgorm Castle, highlighting how the scoring contrasted at each set-up.

With heavy rain curtailing the pro-am on Wednesday, both courses were wet underfoot early on day one, with the majority of the low scorers playing later in the day.

Ross’s superb bogey-free 64 set the pace in the men’s tournament ahead of England’s Europro winner Richard Mansell, and Frenchman Gary Stal on five-under.

Ross, from Kirkhill Golf Club, who earned his Challenge Tour by making the cut at Qualifying School, in Spain, in November, said: “It was great to put a 64 together. I’ve had some poor performances to start the season, so it’s nice to be able to put a strong score together out there.

“I was missing a few greens early on but made some good up-and-downs over my opening nine, and then on the closing nine I was just able to slot in some birdie putts.

“It was obviously great to finish with five birdies in the last six holes.

“I was expecting the scores to be a lot lower, especially looking at the results in the Northern Ireland Open in the past.

“So I was little surprised to see four[under was leading after the morning although this course is a little tricky to master because the two nines play quite differently.

“I’m expecting Galgorm Castle to be a little tougher, especially because the weather’s not looking so good.

“But I’m just going to try and do more of the same stuff,” added Ross.

“I really enjoyed playing in the Jordan Mixed Open, where we were paired up with one woman and a senior.

“I know this event is a little bit different in that we are not playing directly against the girls, but it’s cool to see another format like this on the schedule and I’ve been really enjoying the experience so far.”

Meanwhile Calum Hill, who has won twice in his last three starts on the Euorpean Challenge Tour, is a shot further back among the pack on four-under in the tournament, which has been organised by Nial Horan’s Modest! Golf Management group that looks after many of the Tour’s up and coming young stars.

Cormac Sharvin was one of the strong contingent of Irish players hoping to give the crowds something to cheer – after Shane Lowry’s memorable win in The Open at Royal Portrush last month.

Sharvin, who is 26 and attached to Ardglass GC, said: “I played really nicely tee to green and it was probably as bad a score as it could have been.

“I gave myself good chances on practically every hole, drove it well and my iron play was very good.

“It was playing tricky, a lot trickier than I thought it was going to be so I’m pretty happy with two-under.

Sharvin, who won the Irish Amateur Championship in 2013, added: “The course has held up well considering the rain we’ve had – just that little bit of breeze made it tricky.

“Quite a few par fours we were hitting longer clubs into. I can see why some people are going to struggle.

“You can’t win it on the first day, you can only lose it. Two-under has put me in a decent position.

“The format is good. To be honest, we struggled to keep up with the women in front. We got monitored at one stage. The women seem to be playing pretty quick and maybe they’re showing us how it’s done!”

Givens leads on six-under from American Beth Allen and Germany’s Karolin Lampert, who are two shots clear of Silvia Banon, Manon de Roey, Wentworth’s Annabel Dimmock and local star Stephanie Meadow on three-under.

Givens said: “I’m really pleased with how I played. I played really solid golf and was really happy with how it was.

“It’s actually my first time playing with some new clubs I have so it was nice to start with that – and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.

“It’s actually been really nice weather and the greens are rolling really nicely, so there’s definitely a score out there to be had.

“I had a little bit of a slow patch towards the end of my first nine holes but then played really well on the back nine.

“There’s some interesting weather coming our way. We played in some interesting weather last week in Scotland as well, so I’ve had a lot of practice recently and I’d rather play in sunshine, but will see what comes.

“I’ll just stay really patient and try to play as steady as possible. Massereene is another really nice golf course, so I’ll just deal with whatever comes our way and keep going.

“It’s nice to play in the Northern Hemisphere in this format. I played in the Vic Open before so I was really excited to try and do that here and I’m glad I could come.”

Meadow, who represented Ireland at Olympics in Rio three years ago, said: “I started good, a little shaky in the middle, and then battled back towards the end.

“I hit a lot of good putts but nothing really fell, but overall it’s a decent start.

“I’m just happy I hit some really good iron shots on the way in and when that happens, that’s a good sign for tomorrow and the rest of the week.

“It was great to see some very old faces I haven’t seen in a very long time, so I’m sure it’ll be the same tomorrow. I’ll take it in and enjoy it.

“There were a good few Portrush faces around, one lady was lady captain when I joined and I was her junior prize winner.

“She brought the picture where I think I was 10. She was showing me on the first tee. It’s just little things like that that are pretty special and we’ll always remember that.

“I was a tiny bit nervous on the first tee, which is a bit unusual. I had a few sponsors here, including the CEO.

“It was more emotional than anything. Nervous isn’t the right word, just more emotional than normal.

“Obviously, I want to play well for everybody and give everybody a show who came to support me.

“It’s great so far, it’s been run really well. I enjoy being with the men, we do the same thing week in week out, 25 weeks a year.

“So to see some new faces and even hear the sound on the driving range of the guys hitting is a little strange. It’s nice, it’s a good change,” added Meadow, who has been playing in the USA on the LPGA and Symetra Tour for the past three years.

On Friday, players will switch courses so those playing at Galgorm Castle on Thursday will play at Massereene and vice versa, before the field is cut to 60 and ties in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

For live scoring click here

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