Laurie Canter will be aiming to replicate his winning ways at Royal Golf Club this week when he defends his title at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
Related: Patrick Reed wins Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Last year’s event saw the Englishman secure the second DP World Tour win of his career, claiming victory in a three-way play-off over compatriot Daniel Brown and Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal.
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One year on, Canter is hoping his knowledge of the impressive course, mixed with fond memories of a successful week, sets him up well for a strong finish afront of local fans in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
One player who will be aiming to stand in his way is Patrick Reed. The American registered his first Rolex Series win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic last week, which saw him move to the top of the International Swing rankings, to second on the Race to Dubai Rankings and become the World Number 29.
Reed, whose off-season focus centred around consistency in his ball strike, is looking to build on the confidence gained in Dubai, for what will be his second appearance in Bahrain.
The pair join Major champions Pádraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia in this week’s field, alongside a host of international stars, including Larrazábal, 2024 winner Dylan Frittelli and current Race to Dubai leader Jayden Schaper. Dubai Invitational winner Nacho Elvira and France’s Julien Guerrier, who has recorded back-to-back top-three finishes, will also tee it up at Royal Golf Club.
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The tournament, held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was officially launched on Tuesday night, with an Opening Ceremony held at Royal Golf Club.
The prestigious event, attended by His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al Khalifa and His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, also saw the announcement of a new multi-year partnership with the DP World Tour and the Bahrain Olympic Committee, which will secure the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on the Tour’s schedule until at least 2036.
The extended agreement reinforces the Tour’s commitment to delivering world-class sporting experiences, driving innovation and sustainability, and further strengthening Bahrain’s position as a leading destination for international sport, tourism and business.
Player quotes
Laurie Canter: It’s great to be back. There are obviously a lot of good memories. It’s the first time I’ve been able to defend a tournament on the DP World Tour, so it was great to get out and play the front nine in the Pro-Am today.
It’s a big buzz to come back, I think you sort of get a natural lift. You obviously know the golf course and getting to grips with it, but you do really have your memories within what we did. We were even talking about shots on the final round that happened and that kind of stuff, so it obviously sticks with you in a way that a normal week wouldn’t because, I guess I can say it, it is an unusual outcome to win a golf tournament unless you’re a superstar. It took me over 150 events to win my first one, so those kind of emotions are always going to be around when you’re back at a venue that that has happened.
Patrick Reed: The game feels really solid and we’re looking forward to getting right back at it and getting playing here this week, and just trying to take that confidence in the way I was playing last week into this week.
The first couple of weeks out on the road, at the start of the season after an off-season, is really to kind of see if what you worked on during the off-season actually worked, and to come out and play the way we did, especially to go out and get a win at such a demanding golf course last week, definitely allows me to have the confidence and hopefully jumpstart to having a really good year and have one of those years where I’m holding up more than one trophy.
For me, the biggest thing was obviously hitting fairways. I think the biggest thing in my career, I focus so much on having my short game save me, and it’s whenever I am hitting the ball well, that’s when I’m using the short game as my weapon. This year, the focus was let’s hit the ball a little better, let’s get the ball striking back, so then we can go out and shoot lower numbers and just be more consistent off the tee and on the approaches, so that I can allow the short game to be a weapon rather than a saviour.
