Janet wins on 18th attempt

Under sunny blue skies, Awali Golf Club (AGC) hosted the 26th Bahrain Ladies Golf Championship at the weekend … but concerns have been voiced over the weather forecast as the men prepare to battle in their Open event.

With a delayed tee-off on day one to allow the course a little more time to dry out following the previous morning’s rain, 24 local and overseas players commenced battle on the 6,309 yard, par-75 course.

With several ladies playing in the Open for the first time, and some recently receiving a handicap, the slower players took five hours to complete their rounds, and the last group home were seen on the 18th green just in time as the sun set.

Tournament director Andy McAlpine brought the second day’s play forward to 9.30am to ensure the prize-giving in daylight.

The first day’s play saw two home players – Janet McAlpine and Sarah Hobday – carding the best scores with gross-87 for the first 18 holes. In contention as well was the Royal Golf Club’s Danielle Sheppard, as having not played at Awali for two years and starting slowly with a gross-51 on the front-9 holes, she then shifted gears and achieved a great gross-39 for the back-9 holes to be the third placed at the half-way stage.

On day two, Danielle was not able to catch the ladies sharing the overnight lead, and so the race for the trophy was between Sarah and Janet.

With a bogey on hole-1 to Janet’s double-bogey, Sarah was off to a confident start and was three ahead after hole-6. Janet pulled two back on the par-5 10th with a birdie to Sarah’s bogey. But, it appeared, Janet could not maintain this change of fortune as a stunning eagle on the par-5 13th saw Sarah to speed away to 4-up.
 
However, Janet did not become overly flustered, and parring the short 14th, pulled two shots back with Sarah’s double-bogey.

Sarah was ahead by two for the next two holes, and then came the hole considered to be the most difficult for ladies to par, the par-4 17th.
 
Sarah’s advance up the fairway saw her to the left of the green for three, with the left-side bunker unfortunately claiming her 4th shot, so that she was on the green for five and down in a disappointing seven.

Janet was rock-steady with her drive, an 8-iron lay-up to about 50-yards in the centre of the fairway, and then a sublime pitch that saw her ball land just in front of the pin, to roll a few feet beyond and a solid putt for par. Janet, from 2-down was now 1-up.
 
At the final hole, Sarah, needing to find something extra-special to pull back, attempted an ambitious third shot onto the green. However, this did not go to plan, and rocketed over the back and nearly into the road 50 yards beyond.

Janet, having the luxury of being able to play more cautiously, was on the green for four. Keeping focus on the task at hand, Sarah’s pitch shot back towards the green was struck well, landing just below the top of the bank and not quite on the green. But a massive bounce off the cold-patched surface saw the ball rise high into the air, land and fortuitously trickle onto the green, keeping Sarah’s hopes alive.

With Janet playing first, her putt got to within three feet. Sarah now needed a long, challenging putt to force a play-off. But that was not to be as Janet putted in for six to claim the trophy.

Prizes were presented to the winners by Adel Al Moayyed, acting CE for major sponsor Bapco. Other sponsors included Arabian Exhibition Management, Chevron, Pan Gulf Industrial Systems, African and Eastern, Al Haddad Mercedes, AXA Insurance, Coca Cola, Ace Insurance, ID Works and Holman Fenwick Willan from Dubai.
 
AGC have announced that a portion of the funds from the event and the forthcoming 51st Bahrain Open will be donated to charities – Bahrain Mobility and RIA, a special needs school in Adliya.

Following the prize presentation, Janet thanked the Opens Committee and the grounds-staff for their hard work, as well as Steve Gerrish, AGC’s resident professional. She said: “I played in my first Ladies Open 20 years ago, and have only missed two, so finally this is a win on my 18th attempt!”

Sarah, gracious and philosophical in defeat, said: “After my eagle on the par-5 13th and extending my lead to four shots, I thought I had it. Anyway, it was a weekend out in the sunshine with my mates having fun. What more do I need?”

During post-golf play analysis, a couple of items of interest came to light regarding day two. As an extra incentive for accuracy, the 199-yard par-3 8th hole was sponsored by Al Haddad Mercedes Bahrain, with a hole-in-one prize of a Mercedes car.

As Ariette Paul saw her tee shot sail away, she held her characteristic pose for longer than normal, watching her ball run up very close to the pin. Passing the cup about 15cm wide and coming to rest within a club’s length of the hole, Ariette sunk the putt for the only player to record a birdie at this hole.

This contributed to Ariette achieving best gross score on day two outside the main prizes, and the added ‘pleasure’ of a whopping 5-shot handicap cut taking her down to 24 (3-shots for scoring recorded, an additional 2-shots for exceptional recent performance).

Additionally, whilst playing the 6th hole, McAlpine’s ball struck her bag. Knowing that this is penalised under the Rules of Golf, she awarded herself two penalty strokes, recording a seven for the hole, subsequently signing and posting the card. Only after this, with her score sealed, was it pointed out that the rules allocate a one-stroke penalty, not two. And so the result is even more deserved by the 2014 Ladies Open golf champion, a club spokesman said.

Preparations are now under way for this weekend’s Bahrain Open, as highlighted in GolfWeekly, with touring pro Daniel Owen and defending champion Andrew Marshall amongst the favourites to lift the crown … providing the weather holds.

Club captain Steve Brown warned members about stormy clouds ahead, after congratulating McAlpine saying: “Jan narrowly defeated Sarah by one shot in a very exciting finish. Thanks to all the players, helpers, sponsors and spectators and special thanks to Bapco and the Opens Committee.

“This weekend we have the 51st Bahrain Open and the weather forecast is bad - why does this happen every year? Rain is currently forecast most of tomorrow and into Friday. We are having an Opens Committee meeting to discuss our options.”

Results: 1 Janet McAlpine 176, 2 Sarah Hobday 177, 3 Danielle Sheppard 180, 4 Hanne Skjold 186, 5 Debbie Lane 187, 6 Lynn St Lawrence 191, 7 Tracy Samson 193, 8 Dena Wales 197.

Other prize winners: Best gross day 1 – Nicola Bailey 97; best gross day 2 – Ariette Paul 95; best nett day 1 – Jennifer Yang 74, best nett day 2 – Joan Martin 75; overall best nett – Nicola Park 150; best gross on par-3s day 1 – Nicola Bailey 19. Team prize: Karin Lutz, Arriette Paul, Roberta Trzebinski, Nicola Bailey and anniversary/encouragement prize: Metje Alink.