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South African Lawrence wins on MENA Tour
By VIREN VARMA
RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE -- Thriston Lawrence broke through for his maiden MENA Golf Tour title, winning the Ras Al Khaimah Classic by four shots at Tower Links Golf Club on Wednesday.
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By VIREN VARMA
RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE -- Thriston Lawrence broke through for his maiden MENA Golf Tour title, winning the Ras Al Khaimah Classic by four shots at Tower Links Golf Club on Wednesday.
One stroke in front at the start of the day,
the 18-year-old Springnok showed great strength of character in getting the job
done as he closed with a 69 to reach 12 under par, playing the back nine at
four under.
The 2016 European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke
finished in a four-way tie for second, along with Tyler Hogarty, also of South
Africa, Gabriel Canizares of Spain and Michael Downes of England.
Another South African, M G Keyser tied for
sixth with Craig Hinton of England on seven under, but the day simply belonged
to Lawrence who overcame a mid-round wobble to get over the line in a first for
a South African on the MENA Golf Tour.
“I am absolutely delighted with the win,
which is my first since I turned professional in June last year,” said Lawrence
after receiving the winner’s trophy and a cheque for $9,000 from His Highness
Shaikh Faisal bin Saqr Al Qasimi.
Clarke, who is the Patron of the MENA Golf
Tour, and Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the tour, were also present at the
presentation ceremony.
“This win means a lot to me since it has come
against a top-class field and I will cherish it for a long time to come.
Darren, we all know, is a great ambassador of the game and it was an honour
competing against him,” said the South African, who made
the turn at one over.
“I panicked a bit when I bogeyed three holes
in a row from the seventh, but a birdie on the par-5 13th, where I reached the
green in two, calmed my nerves. Birdies on the next two holes meant I had a
three-shot lead with two holes to go, which was a great confidence boost,” said
Lawrence, who is managed by Andrew "Chubby" Chandler of ISM.
Calling him one of the brightest young stars
to emerge from South Africa since Louis Oosthuizen, Chandler said: “With this
win, Lawrence has already shown his extraordinary talent and if he continues to
progress like this he'll have a tremendously bright future.”
Clarke congratulated Lawrence, saying his
performance is a reflection on the growing standard of the game on the MENA
Golf Tour.
“The conditions were tough, but this young lad played brilliantly
and deserved to win,” said the 47-year-old Ulsterman, who shot a 71 in the
final round.
Playing in the final group with Lawrence,
Morocco’s Faycal Serghini carded a 74 to slip into a tie for eighth on six
under, but had the consolation of winning the MENA Division, a two shots
ahead of his compatriot Younes El Hassani.
Improving with every outing, India’s Rayhan
Thomas returned a final round 69 to join England’s James Allan atop the
leaderboard in the Amateur Division on five under. Allan, who opened with a 67,
just failed to summon his ‘A’ game when it mattered and had to settle for a 74
in the final round.
The MENA Golf Tour travels to Al Ain
Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club next week for the season-ending Tour
Championship, starting on Monday.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
par 216 (3x72)
204 T Lawrence (SAf) 69 66 67 ($9,000)
208 T Hogarty (SAf) 70 67 71, G Canizares (Spa) 69 70 69. M Downes (Eng) 67 72 68, D Clarke (NIr) 71 66 71 ($3,686 each)
SCOTS' SCORES
212 T Innes-Ker 68 75 69 (T15) ($807).
218 B Alexander (am) 74 71 73 (T32)
219 P Doherty 73 73 73 (T37) ($402).
par 216 (3x72)
204 T Lawrence (SAf) 69 66 67 ($9,000)
208 T Hogarty (SAf) 70 67 71, G Canizares (Spa) 69 70 69. M Downes (Eng) 67 72 68, D Clarke (NIr) 71 66 71 ($3,686 each)
SCOTS' SCORES
212 T Innes-Ker 68 75 69 (T15) ($807).
218 B Alexander (am) 74 71 73 (T32)
219 P Doherty 73 73 73 (T37) ($402).
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
Labels: MENA TOUR
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