GOLF – ZUBAIR Firdaus from Malaysia was yesterday crowned champion of the seventh Bahrain Amateur Open.
The three-day, 54-hole competition came to a close at the Royal Golf Club with Firdaus roaring back from three strokes behind heading into the concluding 18 holes and securing the title by two shots.
Firdaus was the only player to go under par yesterday, with the rest of the field struggling under challenging windy conditions.
The 23-year-old carded a one-under 71 score to finish with a seven-under 209 total. He began the final round in fifth place after 36 holes, but leapfrogged all those ahead of him, including 14-year-old Qatari prodigy Daniil Sokolov, who led the competition for the first two days But Daniil shot a four-over-par 76 yesterday to finish as runner-up with a five-under 211 score. Salehaleh Al Kaabi, also from Qatar, claimed third place a further shot behind at four-under 212.
Following yesterday’s action, the Bahrain Amateur Open’s official prize presentation took place. In attendance to hand out the awards were Bahrain Golf Association president Major General Ali bin Saqr Al Nuaimi and Ebrahim K Kanoo board of directors member Isa Mohamed Kanoo.
With his victory, Firdaus became only the third non-Bahraini to win the tournament, following in the footsteps of Aadam Syed from Pakistan last year and Khalid Attieh from Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Also with his victory in this World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) counting event, Firdaus earned a spot at next year’s prestigious Bahrain Championship on the 2026 DP World Tour, scheduled for January 29 to February 1.
Furthermore, he secured a berth in the 17th King Hamad Trophy (KHT) along with the other top 10 players and ties, excluding Bahrain’s national team golfers. The KHT is scheduled to be played from November 27 to 29 at the same world-class course.
Firdaus’s impressive round yesterday included three birdies apiece on either side of the turn, but he also had three bogeys on the front nine and another two on the back.
Daniil had a tough start yesterday, carding a triple bogey on the par-four fifth hole to end his front nine already five shots over par for the day. He tried to recover and had birdies on the 15th and 17th holes, although they weren’t enough to keep him atop the leaderboard.
Al Kaabi played an even-par 72 on the final day to help him climb to third from seventh place after day two. A double bogey on the fifth proved costly, however, but the Qatari still holed four birdies in the round.
Ranked fourth through sixth, respectively, were Jonathan Selvaraj from the UAE, Oscar Craig from England, and Adrian Larsson from Sweden – all of whom finished with two-under-par 214 totals after 54 holes. They each also had tough outings yesterday, with Selvaraj carding a three-over-par 75 score on day three, while Craig went five over par yesterday and Larsson played a six-over 78.
Rounding out the top 10 overall were Dominic McGlinchey from Scotland with an even par 216 total, Mikhail Pinto from India with a one-over-par 217, Issa Abou El Ela from Egypt on two-over 219, and Bahrain’s Khalifa Alkaabi on three-over-par 219.
By finishing as the top local player, Alkaabi also earned a spot at next year’s Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour.
Three of the tournament’s former champions also placed in the top 20 – with 2021 winner Khalifa Al Meraisi (five-over-par 221) coming 12th, 2019 champion Ali Al Kowari (five-over 221) taking 13th, and two-time winner Ahmed Alzayed (seven-over 223) finishing 20th.
This year’s Bahrain Amateur Open was 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.
The official sponsor of this year’s tournament was Ebrahim K Kanoo, the exclusive agent for Lexus vehicles in Bahrain. Other sponsors included Al Salam Bank, Banz Company, Bahrain Duty Free, Crown Underwriters, Al Sharif Group, and Bahrain Scrapmould.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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