Nerve-wracking finish in Bahrain as Freddy Schott defeats Reed and Hill in a playoff to claim his first DP World Tour victory and rise to 9th in Race to Dubai.
At the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour stayed thrilling until the last moment. In a tight contest between Scot Calum Hill, American Patrick Reed, and German Freddy Schott, it was Schott who ultimately triumphed in a nail-biting playoff on the final day. This marks Schott’s first victory on the DP World Tour, propelling the Düsseldorf native up 94 places to 9th in the Race to Dubai standings.
Trio Shares Lead After Final Round
All three players finished Sunday tied at 17-under par atop the leaderboard. Schott improved with a 69, highlighted by four birdies on the front nine but marred by a bogey on hole 8 and a double bogey on hole 11. He added three more birdies and a bogey on the back nine for a three-under par round.
Patrick Reed carded a 67 with seven birdies and two bogeys, coming close to his best round of 66 from Saturday.
Calum Hill shot an under-par 71, supported by his stellar 61 on Friday, but his final round included five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey, which was not enough to secure an outright win.
DP World Tour: Dramatic Playoff Decision for Freddy Schott
In the playoff, Schott started with a par, while Reed bogeyed with five strokes. Hill also made par with four strokes, forcing a second playoff hole. There, Hill scored seven on the par-4 hole and was eliminated. Schott secured the win with an even-par score on the second playoff hole.
Spain’s Sergio García, who led at various points during the tournament, finished tied for fourth alongside New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, both at 16-under par after final rounds of 68.
Other Notable Performances
Swiss player Joel Girrbach could not replicate his earlier strong form, finishing with an even-par 72 and dropping to a tie for 31st at nine under par overall.
German Nicolai von Dellingshausen struggled on the final day, shooting 74, with only one birdie and three bogeys, ending tied for 41st at seven under par.
The moment Freddy Schott became a winner on Tour 🙌
He beat Calum Hill on the second play-off hole as the Scotsman conceded after going out of bounds off the tee and then into the water with his fourth shot. #BahrainGolfChamps