David Hague (left) with Chris Garrity, general manager of the host club and Saud Al Sharif, the low amateur in the MENA Tour’s Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open

ALL the days of self-doubting are over for Yorkshire’s David Hague as he put together a brilliant back nine to secure his maiden professional win at the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open – in only his fourth start in the paid ranks.

The 24-year-old, from Malton and Norton Golf Club, who rose to No. 76 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking before turning pro in January, shot a one-under par 71 on another windy day.

Hague’s nine-under par total after 54 holes proved to be one better than France’s former European Tour star Victor Riu, who shot 70, and earned the former England Amateur international the first prize of $13,500.

“This is amazing and very satisfying,” said David Hague. “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,” added Hague.

“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 15^th was a key moment for me.”

Hague, who finished runner-up at the NewGiza Open in Cairo, earlier this month, started the final round as leader by one shot.

But last year’s Lee Westwood Trophy winner was trailing at the turn after making a double bogey on the seventh hole.

An eagle on the par-five ninth hole, saw Surrey-based Ryan Lumsden, who qualified to play as an amateur in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, in 2018, surge ahead.

At that stage, Hague was seven-under with the Royal Wimbledon player – who studied at Chicago’s Northwestern University, the same college NCAA champion Luke Donald attended – playing a group ahead.

But the champion made three birdies on the back nine as against a solitary bogey on the 12^th hole, including a crucial one on the par-four 15^th hole, which was playing very tough into the headwind.

It was a two-shot swing against both Scottish amateur international Lumsden and Riu, his closest rivals, who dropped shots on the same hole with the Scot carding a 71.

Fellow Scot Callum Fyfe (70) joined Lumsden in a tie for third at seven-under, alongside Hague’s former Yorkshire team-mate Ben Hutchinson (67) and Sweden’s European Tour player Henric Sturehed (68).

The latter two returned the 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 had to settle for the low amateur prize after a final round 81 sent him tumbling down the leaderbaord at the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open

Al Sharif: I’ll learn from experience

SAUD Al Sharif could not replicate the stunning performance from the second round.

The member of the Saudi national team and host club slipped down the leaderboard with an 81 in his first experience of playing in the leading group in a pro event.

However, his two-over par total was still good enough to win him the low amateur prize.

Al Sharif was disappointed with his round, but not disheartened with his effort.

“It was a tough day on the golf course, but I wanted to do better than what I did,” said the 19-year-old who finished in a share of 18th place.

“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,” added Al Sharif.

The MENA Tour travels to Aqaba, Jordan, for the $75,000 Journey to Jordan No. 2 next week.

•For final results in the Bahrain Open click here.

The post David Hague wins first pro title in fourth start at Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open appeared first on Golf North.

Yorkshire’s former England amateur international David Hague leads the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open, with one round to play – local member Saud Alf Sharif is in the chasing pack

IT was a proud moment for Saudi Arabian golf and host venue Royal Golf Club when amateur Saud Al Sharif mastered tough playing conditions to shoot the lowest round of the day on the MENA Tour’s fourth event of the 2020 season.

Al Sharif surged into a tie for second place, just one behind leader David Hague, after the second round of the $75,000 Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open.

The 19-year-old member of the Saudi National Team learned his golf at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain where he has been based for the past 10 years.

He used his immense local knowledge to the fullest – on a day when strong and swirling wind posed tough questions – to shoot a six-under par 66.

It moved him to tied second place at seven-under, tied with France’s Antoine Schwartz, who carded a 70.

“It is such an amazing day. I had an unbelievable round, my lowest ever on the MENA Tour,” said Al Sharif, who had sensationally made the cut last week in Oman, after holing out his second shot on the par-four 17^th hole for an eagle and a birdie on the last.

“My putter was on fire. I made putts from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain,” Al Sharif added.

“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 results.

“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.”

Saud Al Sharif is a member at this week’s host club for the fourth MENA Tour event of 2020

Dropped shots cut Hague’s cushion

YORKSHIRE rookie Hague, who started from the 10th, stumbled on his way home with three bogeys and a double on the front nine.

Hague, who turned pro after MENA Tour by Arena Qualifying School and recently finished runner-up at the NEWGIZA Open in Cairo, was five-under par through his front nine.

The consistent Hague drove his opening hole – the reachable par-four 10^th – and started in the best possible way with an eagle.

He made the turn at five-under before two, three-putts and a poor tee shot on the par-three seventh led to leaked shots.

A birdie on his last – the ninth – 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,” said the Malton & Norton GC member.

“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,” added Hague, who won the Lee Weestwood Trophy at Rotherham GC, in his final year as an amateur.

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 eighth and ninth – both playing very difficult in the wind.

“It was a tough day and I just tried to remain patient,” said Schwartz, a European Challenge Tour member.

“It was a good finish with the two birdies and I am looking forward to tomorrow,” he added.

“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 looking to emulate his friend Sebastien Gros, the winner in Cairo two weeks ago.

First round leader Joel Girrbach (72), from Switzerland, fell to tied fourth place at six-under the promising Scot Ryan Lumsden (67) and resurgent Frenchman Victor Riu (67).

Journey to Jordan leader David Langley, from Berkshire, made successive eagles on the ninth and 10^th holes after making a double bogey on the second hole.

The Castle Royle GC pro is in a group at five-under.

•To see live scoring in Wednesday’s final round click here.

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Ex-European Tour player Joel Girrbach has spent three months away from the game, working with his South African coach, before firing a 66 to lead the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open

SWITZERLAND’S Joel Girrbach, playing his first competitive round in three months on the MENA Tour after losing his European Tour card, shot a six-under par 66 to lead the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open.

The 26-year-old Swiss pro was even-par for his round after successive bogeys on the seventh and eighth holes.

But Girrbach covered his last 10 holes in six-under par to join Germany’s Max Kramer and Yorkshire’s David Hague at the top of the leaderboard.

Girrbach – who graduated from the European Challenge Tour at the end of 2018 before finishing 229^th on last season’s Race to Dubai and losing his card – took nearly three months off from competitive golf to get his game back in shape.

That hiatus included a long trip to South Africa to work with his coach Dougie Wood.

Girrbach said: “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,” added 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-four 10^th, and nearly drove the green on the 11^th. Those two birdies were a good start to the back nine and I just continued from there.”

Germany’s Max Kramer had to stop playing after being diagonosed with an arrhythmic heart beat last season, which restricted him to just four tournaments on the EuroPro Tour

Kramer recovers from heart scare

DAVID Hague, who turned pro after MENA Tour Qualifying School and finished runner-up at the NewGiza Open in Cairo, had an even better recovery.

Last year’s Lee Westwood Trophy winner was one-over par after eight holes and then made five birdies and a spectacular holed-out eagle from the fairway bunker on the 17^th hole.

However, it was 36-year-old Kramer who had the most remarkable story of the day.

The Dusseldorf-based player was diagnosed with an arrhythmic heart last year and stopped playing after just four events in 2019.

While trying to make a comeback, he was seven-under par through 10 holes with two eagles, before losing steam towards the end of his round.

Kramer was just happy to be back on the golf course after surviving a health scare last year that restricted his schedule to just four tournaments on the EuroPro Tour.

“I had played a few events at the start of 2019, but I wasn’t feeling very good,” said Kraymer.

“I went to the doctor and they found out I had arrhythmia of heart. 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,” said the German who was part of the national team alongside two-time major champion Martin Kaymer.

“It was an amazing round for me. I was seven-under par through the first 10 holes with an eagle on the third and par-four 10^th holes.

“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.

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

“I drove it really well all day and kept it in play even though I did not start that well,” said the former England amateur international from Malton & Norton Golf Club, near York.

“I 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,” added Hague.

“The eagle on 17 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 after a 67, while there was a group of six players on 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 after a one-under par 71.

•To follow live scoring in round two in Bahrain, click here.

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