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Joy by name, joy by nature and there was plenty of joy to go around when Luke Joy was crowned champion of the 10th edition of the King Hamad Trophy and walked away with a grand prize of $8,500.
The Brit took to the final round on The Royal Golf Club’s challenging 18-hole Montgomerie course after a strong final day that saw him hit a four-under-par 68.
The European Tour and Mena Tour competitor triumphed as Joshua White, joint-leader after the first two rounds of play, folded under the pressure with a one-over-par 73.
Joy’s final round scorecard featured five birdies, four of which were on the back nine, and one bogey.
He won the 54-hole tournament with a 15-under-par total of 201, five shots clear of White. “The course this week was a very interesting one, from tee to green it was very good and a strong test and visually pretty intimidating in places,” said Joy. “I think if they had the greens any quicker this week you could miss the green, from the green! It did, however, put a premium on hitting the fairways in the right spots and the ball on the right side of the hole.
“I played really nicely for the first two days of the event and managed to post 67(-5) and 66(-6) for a -11 total. I went into the back nine with a one shot lead and after a host of second place finishes this year was determined to get rid of the bridesmaid dresses.
“As it happened I started to play nicely and managed to pick up four shots with a birdie, birdie finish and post a solid 68(-4) and get my first win of the year and continue the good form.
“I was absolutely buzzing to get the job done and get over the line first and want to thank the Bahrain Golf Association for the invite and hospitality. It was a really well run event and I look forward to returning next year.”
Joy comes from Dorset and has been spending his winters in Abu Dhabi, working on his game at the Yas Links facility. He added that he also wanted to thank his caddy Serwyn Rampersad, Awali Golf Club’s vice-captain, after winning in Bahrain.
White’s struggles on the last day included four bogeys and just two birdies. His final score was 10-under 206 but he still pocketed BD5,200 as runner-up to help dampen his disappointment.
Classified behind the leading pair was another British golfer in Josh Oddy. He carded a seven-under 65 for the best score of day three, but it was not enough to get him in the top two. Oddy’s final round scorecard included seven birdies, and he finished the tournament with a nine-under-par 207.
The King Hamad Trophy was a strokeplay championship that featured a total of 86 players who teed off on Thursday. A cut was implemented after day two and only 45 players made it. After three days of play, the field holed a total of two eagles, 538 birdies, 2,029 pars, 959 bogeys and 229 double bogeys.
