Nerve-wracking finish in Bahrain: Freddy Schott wins in a playoff against Reed and Hill, celebrating his first DP World Tour victory and rising to 9th in the Race to Dubai.
At the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour remained tense until the very last moment. In a fierce head-to-head competition between Scotsman Calum Hill, American Patrick Reed, and German player Freddy Schott, it was Schott who ultimately prevailed in an exhilarating playoff on the final day. This victory marks Schott’s first triumph on the DP World Tour. His win catapults the Düsseldorf native to 9th place in the Race to Dubai rankings, an improvement of 94 positions.
Trio Shares Lead After Final Round
All three players finished the final Sunday at 17 strokes under par, tied at the top of the leaderboard. Freddy Schott improved by one stroke from the previous day with a 69-round. Schott shined on the front nine with four birdies but recorded a bogey on the 8th hole. His back nine was solid overall despite a double bogey on hole 11. Three more birdies and another bogey resulted in a three-under-par score for the day.
American Patrick Reed shot a 67-round, five under par, including seven birdies and two bogeys. This performance came close to his best round of the tournament, a 66 on Saturday.
Scot Calum Hill had an average 71-round, one under par, yet maintained a high position on the leaderboard. Benefiting from his exceptional 61-round on Friday, Hill had a slight cushion, but his competitors closed the gap on the final day. Despite five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey, Hill was unable to secure a direct win at the Royal Golf Club.
DP World Tour: Dramatic Playoff Decision for Freddy Schott
The playoff opened with Freddy Schott making par. Patrick Reed bogeyed with five strokes. Calum Hill also made par with four strokes, sending the playoff back to hole 18. On the second playoff hole, Hill faltered with seven strokes on the par-4 and missed out on the win. Freddy Schott played even par to clinch the tournament.
Spanish star Sergio García, who led the leaderboard several times throughout the event, finished the fourth day with a 68-round, tying for fourth place alongside New Zealander Daniel Hillier, both ending at 16 under par.
Other Notable Performances
Swiss player Joel Girrbach was unable to maintain his strong showing from earlier rounds despite an initially promising start with a birdie on hole 2 followed by an eagle. After some bogeys on the back nine, Girrbach closed with an even-par 72 and finished the tournament at nine under par, dropping to T31.
German player Nicolai von Dellingshausen struggled on the final day with a 74-round including one birdie and three bogeys, finishing at seven under