The DP World Tour kicks off a new tournament week with the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. Two Germans take the lead after the opening day.
The DP World Tour Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship has started. At the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, two German players stood out against the international field on the first day.
Schott Takes the Lead on the DP World Tour, Von Dellingshausen Close Behind
Freddy Schott had a dream start on opening day, making an early statement. The German recorded six birdies in his first nine holes, five in a row, quickly moving to the top of the leaderboard. A double bogey on his tenth hole briefly slowed his momentum, but Schott remained unfazed: birdies on the 14th and 17th, plus only one more bogey, brought him back on track. He finished with an eagle on the final hole to share the lead at -7 with Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey, who had a flawless round with seven birdies and no bogeys.
In pursuit position was Nicolai von Dellingshausen. After a strong front nine with birdies on holes 3, 4, 6, and 7 and an eagle on 9 following a perfect approach shot to within inches of the pin, he was already at -5. Although he had a bogey on 11, he responded with birdies on 13 and 18. He moves into the second day in a promising chase position at -6, with his precise shots into the greens helping create many birdie opportunities.
Other DACH Players Show Mixed Results
Marcel Schneider stands in the middle of the field after round one. A mixed performance with five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey led to a total score of -1. Notably, he was strong on the par-3 holes, making birdies on three of the four par 3s.
Joel Girrbach from Switzerland finished with -2. Starting solidly with one birdie and eight pars, he suffered two bogeys on the back nine but recovered with birdies on 15, 16, and 18 to secure a round under par.
Marcel Siem had an up-and-down round. After bogeys on holes 4 and 5, he narrowly missed a hole-in-one on 7 but made birdies on both 7 and 9. He was even par going into the back nine, but two early bogeys followed by a birdie on 14 and another bogey ended his day at +2.
Bernd Wiesberger and Maximilian Steinlechner each made three birdies and six bogeys, finishing at +3 and positioned in the lower third of the field.
Title Defense Mission Off to a Successful Start
Last year’s champion Laurie Canter is on course to defend his title. The Englishman made three birdies on the front nine and added four more on the back nine. With only one bogey, his -6 keeps him close to the lead.
Attention was also drawn