GOLF – FOURTEEN-year-old prodigy Daniil Sokolov from Qatar took a one-shot lead yesterday after the opening round of the seventh Bahrain Amateur Open golf championship, currently being played at the Royal Golf Club.
One hundred golfers of various nationalities teed off on day one of the three-day, 54-hole competition.
Daniil shone brightest amongst the high-quality field, carding a seven-under-par 65 to power to the top of the leaderboard following 18 holes.
The Bahrain Amateur Open continues with day two today, at the end of which a cut will be made for the leading 48 gross scores and ties.
The competition is a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) counting event. The champion, who will be crowned on Saturday, will not only come away with the coveted trophy, but also earn a spot at next year’s prestigious Bahrain Championship on the 2026 DP World Tour, scheduled for January 29 to February 1.
Furthermore, the Bahrain Amateur Open acts as a qualifier for the 17th King Hamad Trophy (KHT). The top 10 players and ties, excluding Bahrain’s national team golfers, will qualify for the KHT, which is scheduled to be played from November 27 to 29 at the same world-class course.
Daniil was in sensational form during yesterday’s first round, carding four birdies on both the front and back nines, with only a bogey on the par-four 17th spoiling his day.
He heads into today’s play ahead by a single stroke from tied-second placers Issa Abou El Ela from Egypt and Adrian Larsson from Sweden.
El Ela, last year’s third-placer in the tournament, had a forgettable start to his bid, bogeying the second, third, and eighth holes. But he finished the day red hot, kicking off the back nine with a stunning eagle on the par-four 10th, and then birdieing six of the remaining eight holes.
Larsson had a more consistent outing in his round, holing three birdies each on either side of the turn.
Ranked behind the first round’s top three was Ahmad Skaik from the UAE with a five-under-par 67 score, while three players were tied-fifth on four-under-par 68, including Salehaleh Al Kaabi from Qatar, Jonathan Selvaraj from the UAE, and Jay Mullane from England, who was last year’s runner-up.
The tournament’s 2019 champion Ali Al Kowari was the highest-ranked Bahraini competitor after day one. He was tied-eighth with Oscar Craig from England and Dominic McGlinchey from Scotland – all of whom boasted scores of two-under 70.
Al Kowari also had one of the highlights of the day yesterday with an eagle on the par-five ninth.
Three other Bahrainis – including former champions Khalifa Al Meraisi and Ahmed Alzayed – were amongst six players who were tied-11th with one-under-par 71 scores. The others were Bahrain’s Khalifa Alkaabi, Aissa Elkhadri from Morocco, Khalid Alqunaibit from Saudi Arabia, and Zubair Firdaus from Malaysia.
Also yesterday, Sam Mullane from the UAE completed the ninth hole in three shots for another eagle on opening day.
Today’s first group is scheduled to begin their round at 6.40am.
This year’s Bahrain Amateur Open is also an opportunity for the tournament’s participating youth from the kingdom to vie for selection to the national team roster, for a chance to compete in the third Asian Youth Games, which will be held on the island from October 22 to 31.
Golf is one of the 26 sports that will feature in the mega event, which is being held under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Hamad.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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