Bahrain Championship gets underway today at The Royal Golf Club

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies tees off this morning at The Royal Golf Club, with many of the biggest stars in the DP World Tour returning to the Kingdom for the first time in 13 years.

The first groups of players scheduled to get action underway at 6.30am are Johannes Veerman of the US and the Swedish pair of Adam Blomme and Jesper Svensson from the first tee, and the triumvirate of Keita Nakajima from Japan, Callum Shinkwin from England and Antoine Rozner from France from the 10th tee.

There are 44 groups in all set to play day one, with the last groups beginning their round at 12.40pm. They include Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, Tom Lewis of England and Khaled Attieh from Saudi Arabia from the first tee; and Renato Paratore of Italy, Kristian Krogh Johannessen of Norway and Bahrain’s very own Ahmed Al Zayed from the 10th tee.

Amongst the other top stars set to compete at The Royal Golf Club is Yannik Paul of Germany, who is ready to kick start his season after posting two top 10 finishes in his first three starts of 2024. Paul, who won the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, showed supreme consistency on the 2023 Race to Dubai, missing just four cuts from 26 appearances and posting seven top tens in the process.

After taking time out after the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, he has started 2024 with top tens either side of a missed cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, and he is hoping to use his hot finish in Ras Al Khaimah, where he posted two birdies and an eagle in his last five holes, to charge towards more honours on the DP World Tour.

“I was really happy last week,” said Paul. “Had a good finish on the back nine to make it a good week. I haven’t played really well there before so it was nice to get a good finish. “Especially because I played well in the first event but struggled in the second, so it was nice to keep the momentum going and get a good second top 10 to get the season started.

“I putted pretty nicely. The driving was good on the first day and then the second to the fourth day, my iron game, which is usually my strongest part, was getting better and I was hitting it solid all week. You need to make quite a few birdies there and I was able to make some of them so it was a good week overall.”

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn is one of only 11 players teeing it up this week who competed in 2011 when the DP World Tour was last in Bahrain for the Volvo Golf Champions. The 15-time DP World Tour winner and 2018 Ryder Cup winning captain was on Tuesday announced as the Captain of the Denmark Olympic golf team for this year’s Paris Olympics.

“The course is good, very good,” said Bjorn. “I think it builds on the first three weeks really. Conditions have been amazing this year and we’ve got people working very hard to produce some great venues and this is another one that sets up nicely.

‘A new experience’

“Most of the guys in the field weren’t here when we played here last time so it will be a new experience for them, but it’s a nice week, a nice place, and we enjoy golf courses like this. It’s a bit different.

“The first three weeks have been flat greens, a lot of small greens, and this week they’re big, undulating and they ask a lot of questions, different questions to the first three weeks.” One player who is hoping to represent Denmark in Paris is Rasmus Hojgaard, who arrives in Bahrain having finished second at last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship behind countryman Thorbjorn Olesen.

England’s Alex Fitzpatrick will be aiming to continue his record of finishing inside the top 20 in each of his four starts on the 2024 Race to Dubai at the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies, the fourth event of the International Swing.

“I’m excited,” said Fitzpatrick. “First time here in Bahrain so it’s nice to experience new things. It’s hopefully going to be a good week and hopefully I feel a little better, as do a lot of the players and caddies. Excited for the week and ready to get started.

“My game is getting a little more consistent, which is great, obviously I’m still looking for top tens and top fives and other things, that’s the ideal scenario, but I’m very lucky. “I have a great team around me and a lot of people push me and challenge me to get better every day and that’s what it’s all about in my opinion. I’m going to keep pushing forward, keep working hard and hopefully the results will come.”

Aside from Al Zayed, the Kingdom’s flag will be flown in the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies by Fahad Abdulla Sultan Mubarak and Khalifa Al Meraisi. Mubarak and Al Meraisi will tee off at 8am from the first and 10th tees, respectively. General admission to the Bahrain Championship is free of charge for spectators while there are also a host of premium experiences available.

All tickets will include access to the tournament’s Village Square, which will boast a wealth of activities for the whole family to enjoy. Little ones will be entertained in the Kids Zone with face-painting, glitter stations and roaming entertainers, while Seef Properties are providing 100 Play Vouchers.

There will also be live music after play every day from local bands, free golf lessons, food trucks and an activation dedicated to Bahraini culture will ensure fans enjoy the off-course action just as much as the thrilling golf on offer at Royal Golf Club. Spectators must register online at europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/bahrain-championship-2024/tickets-packages/ in order to gain free general admission entry. To keep up to date with tournament news, follow @bahraingolfchamps on Instagram.