LATE BOGEYS KILL SCOT'S WINNING CHANCE

CORFIELD WINS, BUCHANAN JOINT 

THIRD IN MENA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE MENA TOUR WEBSITE
Lee Corfield held his nerve coming down the home stretch to retain  the MENA Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club today.
One shot in front at the start of the final round, the Englishman closed with a 66 to reach 14 under-par 199, three shots ahead of compatriot Joshua White with four players, headed by Edinburgh’s Tom Buchanan, the head professional at Al Ain, sharing third place on 10 under 203.
His runner-up finish was good enough for White to claim the title of 2014 MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit Champion with $28,471 in earnings as he upstaged fellow Englishmen Luke Joy ($27,066) and Zane Scotland (25,604), who occupied the first two places at the start of the MENA Tour Championship.
“I stayed focused on my game though I knew Tom (Buchanan) was closing in. In the end, it feels nice to get the job done. I think patience was the key,” said Corfield after receiving the winner’s trophy and a cheque for $13,500 from Shaikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, president of the Arab Golf Federation.
“With so many players bunched at the top, I knew it’s going to be close, but I concentrated on one shot at a time, as if each was the first shot of the day. Also, I was a bit lucky with the putter and holed some nice putts at the right time,” said 32-year-old Corfield.
Buchanan, who earned $4,873 from the final event and £13,529 from the MENA Tour season as a whole, had his chance to surpass the overnight leader, but three bogeys in the final four holes denied the head pro at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club a shot at the championship.
“I started off pretty well, but the finish was quite disappointing. Maybe I tightened up a bit,” said the former Duddingston assistant pro, who made the turn at five under.
“If someone had offered me a 67 before the round, I would have gladly taken it. Overall, I am quite of proud of myself the way I played,” Buchanan, who shared third place with England’s Jake Shepherd, Spain’s Tony Ferrer and amateur, James Allan, on 10 under.
England’s White said he was over the moon after winning Order of Merit title. “I didn’t set any goals coming to this tournament, but I am quite pleased with the way things turned out for me.
“Lee played a great game under pressure and deserved to win. I am more than happy with my runner-up finish. I am really looking forward to playing in the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic,” said White who will join Joy and Scotland in the starting line up of the European Tour’s longest running tournament in the region along with Allan, the winner of the amateur Order of Merit title.
While the top three professionals and the leading amateur receive invitations to the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the top eight professionals and the top three amateurs on their respective orders of merit also qualify for the Dubai Open, the Asian Tour’s final event in 2014, to be played at the Els Club, Dubai, in December.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
199 Lee Corfield (Eng) 63 70 66 ($13,500)
202 Josh White (Eng) 66 68 68 ($9,000)
203 Tom Buchanan (Sco) 71 65 67, Toni Ferrer (Spa) 66 70 67, Jake Shepherd (Eng) 67 67 69 ($4,873 each), James Allan (Eng) (am) 70 66 67.
SELECTED TOTALS
207 Clarke Lutton (Sco) 69 68 70 (T14) ($1,371)
209 Paul Doherty (Sco) 71 71 67 (T20) ($1,152)
215 Danny Kay (Sco) (am) 76 71 74 (T28) 

 
Final Order of Merit (professionals):
1.Joshua White (England) $28,471
2. Luke Joy (England) $27,066
3. Zane Scotland (England) $25,604
4. Lee Corfield (England) $19,762
5. Carlos Balmaseda (Spain) $15,746
6. Faycal Serghini (Morocco) $14,255
7. Ahmed Marjane (Morocco) $13,561
8. Tom Buchanan (Scotland) $13,529

Amateurs:

1.James Allan (England)
2.Michael Harradine (Switzerland)
3.James Yeomans  (England)