Park on glory trail

AWALI’S professional David Park is looking forward to the defence of the King Hamad Trophy he won at the Royal Golf Club last year, but the stakes are considerably higher with a valuable place in next month’s Volvo Golf Champions on offer to the winner.

Almost 100 golfers from across the Gulf region and as far afield as Bangladesh and Ireland congregate at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain this week with victory ensuring not only the highly-prized King Hamad Trophy but also a place in the starting line-up for the $2.2million (BD830,000) event.

He will play alongside Ryder Cup stars such as course designer Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter, Italian brothers Francesco and Eduardo Molinari and Swede Robert Karlsson, winner of the recent Dubai World Championship.

The 34-year-old journeyman professional, who originates from Scotland, the ‘Home of Golf,’ won last year by a single shot. Park recalled: “The first day was played in windy conditions and a lot of the tees were placed as far back as they could be, hence the 78 (six-over-par) I scored,” adding, “The second and third days were played in better conditions with slightly easier tee positions, and I shot 73 (one-over-par) with a final round of 72, level-par, so I managed to win by one shot.”

Park, who has been playing golf since he was 10 and is based at the local Awali Golf Club, is a big fan of the Montgomerie Course at the Royal Golf Club where his title defence begins on Friday.

“I love it, it’s a really tough but fair golf course with very undulating greens, and has matured very nicely,” continued the defending champion, adding, “the last four holes are very, very tough; water comes into play on them all and it is a very challenging finishing stretch.”

Victory in this, the third King Hamad Trophy, could see Park paired with his compatriot Montgomerie in the Volvo Golf Champions and the pair share another coincidental connection.

“I turned professional in 1997 and did my training at the Turnberry Hotel and Golf Courses Resort in Ayrshire, Scotland where the winning Ryder Cup captain has his Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy,” says Park. “But defending my King Hamad Trophy is going to be tough; looking through the entry list, there are some excellent professional and amateur players from around the region, so I am going to have to be at my very best.”

But the man who won the Bahrain Open in 2004 describes the opportunity of qualifying for the kingdom’s first full European Tour event as ‘massive’.

“For me, I thought my days of playing a tour event were probably behind me, so qualifying would be fantastic and would be a great honour to rub shoulders with the elite of the game,” he said.

And the teaching professional at the sand course is upbeat about the mid- to long-term prospects of Middle East golf, saying: “I think it’s just a matter of time.

“There are golf schools popping up all over the Gulf now and with the kind of sponsorship that can be attracted out here it’s possible,” insists the man who has helped produce five PGA professionals from the junior coaching ranks over recent years.

Also in the mix is a powerful contingent from the host Royal Golf Club including head professional Chris Kelby and director of golf, Phil Jones, whilst Othman Almulla, who recently represented Saudi Arabia at the Asian Games in China is also in for a busy week should he win the King Hamad Trophy, as he qualified for the World Final of the Volvo World Golf Challenge, which takes place also on the Montgomerie Course on January 31 and February 1, next year.

A dozen of Bahrain’s most promising golfers will also play the King Hamad Trophy representing the Bahrain Golf Association, whilst in addition to those from the kingdom and six from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Dubai, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya and Oman are also sending strong teams, as are Bangladesh and Taiwan.

Special invitations have been given to professionals Andrew Marshall and Graham Spring from the UK and Ireland respectively, ensuring the most competitive and cosmopolitan field in the three-year history of the King Hamad Trophy.