The DP World Tour kicks off a new week with the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. Two Germans make an early move on day one.
The DP World Tour Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship has started. At the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, two Germans stood out against the international field on the first day.
Schott Takes Lead on the DP World Tour, Von Dellingshausen Close Behind
Freddy Schott had a dream start on the opening day, making an early statement. The German recorded six birdies in his first nine holes, five consecutively, quickly climbing to the top of the leaderboard. A double bogey on his tenth hole briefly slowed his momentum, but Schott remained undeterred: birdies on 14 and 17 and just one more bogey brought him back on track. He crowned his round with an eagle on the final hole, sharing the lead at -7 with Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey, who played a flawless round without a bogey and seven birdies.
In pursuit is Nicolai von Dellingshausen, who after strong front nine birdies on holes 3, 4, 6, and 7 plus an eagle on 9, stood already at -5. Although he faced a bogey on 11, he bounced back with birdies on 13 and 18, finishing at -6, poised well for the second day. His precise approach shots enabled several scoring opportunities.
Other DACH Players Show Mixed Results
Marcel Schneider sits mid-field after round one with a mixed performance of five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey, finishing at -1. Notably strong on par-3 holes, he made birdies on three of four such holes.
Joel Girrbach of Switzerland finished at -2. He started solidly with a birdie and eight pars, then incurred two bogeys on the back nine but recovered with birdies on holes 15, 16, and 18, securing a sub-par round.
Marcel Siem experienced ups and downs. After bogeys on 4 and 5 and narrowly missing a hole-in-one on 7, where he made a birdie, he went even par to the back nine. Early bogeys followed, but a birdie on 14 helped; however, another bogey ended his day at +2.
Bernd Wiesberger and Maximilian Steinlechner both scored +3 with three birdies and six bogeys each, placing them in the lower third of the field.
Title Defense Successfully Launched
Last year’s winner Laurie Canter is on course for a title defense, carding three birdies on the front nine and four more on the back nine with only one bogey, standing at -6, within striking distance of the lead.
Headline news also came from last week’s winner Patrick Reed, who announced before the tournament he won’t return to LIV Golf but aims for a PGA Tour comeback in summer 2026. On the course, he had a mixed round of five birdies and four bogeys