King Hamad Trophy set for tee-off

TDT | Manama                                                   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The 15th edition of the prestigious King Hamad Trophy golf championship gets underway today at The Royal Golf Club (RGC) at Riffa Views, with the participation of 100 professional and amateur golfers from around the world.

The event, organised and run by the Bahrain Golf Association, is a 54-hole strokeplay competition, set to take place along RGC’s 18-hole Montgomerie championship course.

Fifteen countries are being represented in the event, with a large group of pros from Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, France, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, along with other foreign professionals based in the GCC.

This year’s event is extra special as, aside from coming away with the glittering King Hamad Trophy, the winner will get an invitation to the inaugural Bahrain Championship on the 2024 DP World Tour, set to be played in early February.

This DP World Tour place is coveted by many as they will get to compete alongside some of the world’s biggest names in the game of golf.

Set to lead the field this weekend are defending champion Tom Sloman and two-time former winner Luke Joy.

Sloman was crowned last year’s champ after playing the final day’s best score of eightunder-par 64.

He ended the 54- hole competition with a 13-under 203 total and finished three shots clear of joint-runners-up Joshua White and Hugh Foley.

With his win, Sloman etched his name onto the list of title winners in the championship— one that includes Joy, Ahmed Marjan, Andrew Marshall, Graham Spring, David Park, Yasin Ali, Jamie Elson and Rayhan Thomas.

This year, a number of Bahrain’s top golfers are also set to compete.

They include national team stars Fahad Abdulla Al Hakam, Ahmed Al Zayed, Mohammed Diyab Al Nuaimi, Khalifa Duaij Al Kaabi, Khalifa Al Meraisi, Abdulla Al Yaqoob and Yousef Al Janahi.

A few of the Kingdom’s leading veterans are also in the field, namely Abdulla Sultan Al Hakam, Hamad Mubarak Al Afnan, Nasser Yaqoob and Sultan Abdulla Al Hakam.

Following the first two rounds today and tomorrow, a cut will be made of the top 50 players and ties for the final 18 holes on Saturday.

In preparation for today’s start, members of the tournament’s supreme organising committee had held several meetings with RGC management on all issues related to the smooth running of the competition.

Entry is free to attend this weekend’s events and spectators are welcome to watch all the action.