Nail-biting finish in Bahrain: Freddy Schott wins the playoff against Reed and Hill, celebrating his first DP World Tour victory and rising to 9th in Race to Dubai.
The Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain on the DP World Tour remained thrilling until the very last moment. In a strong head-to-head battle between Scotsman Calum Hill, American Patrick Reed, and German Freddy Schott, the German ultimately prevailed in a nerve-wracking playoff on the final day. This victory marked Schott’s first triumph on the DP World Tour. The Düsseldorf native catapulted to 9th place in the Race to Dubai rankings, moving up 94 spots.
Three-way tie atop leaderboard after final round
All three players finished the final Sunday tied at 17 under par at the top of the leaderboard. Freddy Schott improved by one stroke from the previous day with a 69. He shone on the front nine with four birdies but incurred a bogey on the 8th hole. His back nine was steady despite a double bogey on hole 11, combined with three more birdies and another bogey to finish three under par on the day.
American Patrick Reed carded a 67 with five under par, recording seven birdies and two bogeys, nearly matching his best round of 66 from the previous Saturday.
Scot Calum Hill shot a solid 71, one under par, keeping him near the top of the leaderboard. Despite a strong 61 on Friday giving him a cushion, his competitors closed the gap on the final day. His scorecard included five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey, which was not enough to claim an outright win at the Royal Golf Club.
DP World Tour: Playoff thriller crowns Freddy Schott
Freddy Schott began the playoff with a par. Patrick Reed recorded a bogey with five strokes, while Calum Hill matched Schott’s par with four strokes, forcing another hole. On the second playoff hole, Hill struggled with seven strokes on a par-4 and was eliminated. Schott played an even par to clinch the tournament victory.
Spanish star Sergio García, who had led the leaderboard multiple times during the tournament, finished the final day with a 68 and shared fourth place with New Zealander Daniel Hillier, both ending at 16 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 pic.twitter.com/GhZCRaRR6v