Rookie pro MacIntyre wins first MENA Tour title
Winner Robert MacIntyre with Yousef Abdulaziz Al Qatami and Wael Abdulrahman Al Welayti, both members of the Sahara Kuwait’s golf advisory committee
Playing in his very second event as a professional, the 21-year-old Scot closed with a tidy five-under 65 after earlier scores of 65 and 66 to reach 14-under 106 sfor the tournament, beating Joy by two shots, the victory underlining his smooth transition into the paid ranks.
One behind at the start, MacIntyre caught fire on the back nine, picking up three birdies in a row after the making the turn at two-under as his challengers eventually faded, one after another. The Scot earned $9,000 for his victory.
Perennial contender Joy mixed four birdies with a bogey in his final round 67 that left the two-time MENA Tour winner alone in second place on 12-under for the second week in a row and sixth overall. Joy earned $6,000.
A shot further back was a four-man group consisting of overnight leader Stuart Archibald, Max Smith, Joshua White, all of England, and Scotland’s Daniel Hendry, one clear of the English duo Adam Sagar and Jordan Garnish.
It was MacIntyre, who showed maturity beyond his years to dominate the second edition of the event in Kuwait, making him the 12th first-time winner this season in a reflection of winds of change blowing at the MENA Tour.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish. Absolutely delighted with my efforts, a memorable week for me, indeed,” said the Scot after receiving the winner’s trophy from Yousef Abdulaziz Al Qatami and Wael Abdulrahman Al Welayti, both members of the Sahara Kuwait’s golf advisory committee.
“It’s a nice golf course with narrow fairways. You needed to be accurate off the tee and I drove the ball well all week, creating some good scoring opportunities. I holed putts when I needed to and that was the key to my success,” said MacIntyre, who became the fourth Scot after Paul Doherty, Clarke Lutton and David Law to win a MENA Tour event.
“I played golf the way as I used to as an amateur and never let the pressure of turning pro affect my game,” said MacIntyre who credited his coach David with all the hard work he put in, in honing his competitive edge.
“I was fun playing on the MENA Tour. The competition is great and so is the atmosphere and look forward to playing more events next season,” said MacIntyre, who is now 22-under for the last four rounds he has played on the MENA Tour.
England’s Todd Clements comfortably kept up his prime form to win the amateur division for the fifth time in a row on five-under 205, a good two shots ahead of Switzerland’s Dubai-based prodigy Michael Harradine, a stunning achievement virtually assuring him of the Order of Merit title.
Meanwhile, defending champion Joe Heraty produced a birdie-birdie finish to move into a four-way tie for 30th on level-par along with fellow Englishman Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner on the tour.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
196 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 65 66 65 ($9,000)
198 Luke Joy (England) 64 67 67 ($6,000)
199 Max Smith (England) 66 65 68, Stuart Archibald (England) 64 66 69, Joshua White (England) 66 67 66, Daniel Hendry (Scotland) 64 68 67 ($2,811 each)
SELECTED TOTAL
214 Daniel Kay (Scotland) 74 70 70 ($320)
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS AND PRIZEMONEY
CLICK HERE
One behind at the start, MacIntyre caught fire on the back nine, picking up three birdies in a row after the making the turn at two-under as his challengers eventually faded, one after another. The Scot earned $9,000 for his victory.
Perennial contender Joy mixed four birdies with a bogey in his final round 67 that left the two-time MENA Tour winner alone in second place on 12-under for the second week in a row and sixth overall. Joy earned $6,000.
A shot further back was a four-man group consisting of overnight leader Stuart Archibald, Max Smith, Joshua White, all of England, and Scotland’s Daniel Hendry, one clear of the English duo Adam Sagar and Jordan Garnish.
It was MacIntyre, who showed maturity beyond his years to dominate the second edition of the event in Kuwait, making him the 12th first-time winner this season in a reflection of winds of change blowing at the MENA Tour.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish. Absolutely delighted with my efforts, a memorable week for me, indeed,” said the Scot after receiving the winner’s trophy from Yousef Abdulaziz Al Qatami and Wael Abdulrahman Al Welayti, both members of the Sahara Kuwait’s golf advisory committee.
“It’s a nice golf course with narrow fairways. You needed to be accurate off the tee and I drove the ball well all week, creating some good scoring opportunities. I holed putts when I needed to and that was the key to my success,” said MacIntyre, who became the fourth Scot after Paul Doherty, Clarke Lutton and David Law to win a MENA Tour event.
“I played golf the way as I used to as an amateur and never let the pressure of turning pro affect my game,” said MacIntyre who credited his coach David with all the hard work he put in, in honing his competitive edge.
“I was fun playing on the MENA Tour. The competition is great and so is the atmosphere and look forward to playing more events next season,” said MacIntyre, who is now 22-under for the last four rounds he has played on the MENA Tour.
England’s Todd Clements comfortably kept up his prime form to win the amateur division for the fifth time in a row on five-under 205, a good two shots ahead of Switzerland’s Dubai-based prodigy Michael Harradine, a stunning achievement virtually assuring him of the Order of Merit title.
Meanwhile, defending champion Joe Heraty produced a birdie-birdie finish to move into a four-way tie for 30th on level-par along with fellow Englishman Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner on the tour.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
196 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 65 66 65 ($9,000)
198 Luke Joy (England) 64 67 67 ($6,000)
199 Max Smith (England) 66 65 68, Stuart Archibald (England) 64 66 69, Joshua White (England) 66 67 66, Daniel Hendry (Scotland) 64 68 67 ($2,811 each)
SELECTED TOTAL
214 Daniel Kay (Scotland) 74 70 70 ($320)
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS AND PRIZEMONEY
CLICK HERE
Labels: MENA TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, October 19, 2017
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