After a great start to the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, where he equalled the course record with a second round 11 under par, 61, it was unfortunately disappointment at the finish for Calum Hill.
Starting the final round with a 2 shot lead over Germany’s Freddy Schott, Calum held off the challenge of the chasing pack from the very first hole. However, on the back nine, when Calum, Schott, Reed and Sergio Garcia all held the lead for short periods, birdies on the 12th& 13th holes helped Calum back to a one shot lead as he played the final hole.
A bogey on the 18th meant a three-way play-off with Schott and Reed. As Reed dropped out after the 1st play-off hole, an agonising 7 for Calum on the second play-off hole meant that Schott had earned his first victory on the DP World Tour, and Calum would need to wait slightly longer to rack up his third win.
Whilst it is obviously a disappointing way to miss out on another win, Calum has jumped up into the top 20 on the Race to Dubai, and will hope that the good form he showed throughout the week will stay with him at next week’s Qatar Masters in Doha.
Fellow Scot, Grant Forrest, had a similar experience to Calum, when some of the great work he had put in throughout the tournament was lost to a double-bogey on the last hole. In spite of this, Grant also finished inside the top ten in a tie for seventh place.