Reigning champion Andrew Marshall marched to victory in the fourth King Hamad Trophy event at a rain-soaked Royal Golf Club at the weekend.

Entering the final day with a comfortable eight-shot lead, the Brit produced another fine display to finish the tournament on 15 under par and 13 strokes ahead of his nearest challenger, Younes Al Hassan of Morocco.

Showing considerable consistency, Marshall’s score of 68 included birdies at three, five and nine and he could even arguably have been forgiven for the bogey at the seventh considering the commanding position he was in. On the back nine there were further birdies at 12, 14 and 16, with the only other blemish on the card being a bogey at 15.

Playing alongside Marshall, Al Hassan held on to second place in the tournament with a score of 73. His card featured birdies at 12 and 13 but he just couldn’t find the same rhythm that had seen him score under-par rounds on the previous two days.

Indeed it was another Brit, Dale Marmion, also playing alongside Marshall and Al Hassan, who recorded the only other below par round of the final day. His 70 was enough to see him steal ahead of the competition in the race for third place.

Elsewhere, Mohamed Diab hit 76 to finish as the top-ranking Bahraini player as well as top amateur in a tie for fourth. It was a position he shared with Bahrain-based Daniel Owen.

Organised by the Bahrain Golf Association, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, this annual tournament features professionals and leading amateur players from around the GCC, Asia, Europe and South Africa.

Carrying a top prize of $7,500 (BD2,835), the competition was backed by a host of Bahrain’s leading companies, including Batelco, Alba and Kuwait Finance House.

Last year, Marshall’s big gamble of playing for a place in the Volvo Golf Champions rather than attending the European Tour Qualifying School paid-off handsomely as he won the King Hamad Trophy and an invitation to the new $2.2million (BD830,0000) European Tour showpiece at the Royal Golf Club in January.

The follow-up event was due to be staged in Bahrain and open the 2012 European Tour but it was called off by the organisers because of unrest in the kingdom and moved to a later date in South Africa.