Like mother, like daughter!

In total contrast to the violent winds which affected last year’s competition, the 28th Bahrain Ladies Open teed off on Friday at Awali Golf Club under clear skies and light winds … and success proved to be a family affair.

Twenty-five ladies from Awali Golf Club and Royal Golf Club accompanied by their caddies but without the use of buggies played their way on foot around the rugged 6.3km course.

After the first nine holes, scores were close with Noelle Casey (RGC) on 42 strokes, Ariette Paul and Lynn St Lawrence of AGC on 44, followed by Hyun Ju Lee (RGC), Susan Scott, Nicky Park and Sarah Hobday (all AGC) on 45.

However, as players finished their rounds in front of the crowd in the 19th hole, the final order of day one ended with Paul posting a superb 87, followed by Nicky Bailey 3 shots behind on 90, and in 3rd place, Hobday with 91 strokes.

Day two opened with an early morning rain shower and somewhat menacing skies. The ground staff, however, were out on the course hours before the start making sure the ‘browns’ and the bunkers were perfect for the day’s competition. The skies cleared and the sun came out to welcome the first ladies who teed off at 10am.

The leaderboard continued to change regularly among the top players from the day before and by the end of 27 holes it became apparent that the winner would come from any of Paul (the overnight leader), St Lawrence (the 2015 champion), Bailey, Hobday, or Scott – all Awali Golf Club players.

By the 32nd hole of play, St Lawrence had slipped behind and only two strokes separated the other four ladies. Back at the clubhouse, the live scores were being reported back and tensions were high among the partisan spectators. Then disaster struck Paul on the 15th following an unlucky bunker lie, effectively putting her out of contention, and Hobday cemented her place firmly at the top with a birdie.

She held her nerve and continued to play a steady game over the next three holes keeping her position to finish as the 2015 Bahrain Ladies Open champion with a very creditable 177 strokes.

Scott finished in runner-up position six strokes behind with 183 strokes, and there was a theoretical tie for 3rd and 4th place between Bailey and Paul, each with 185 strokes. The positions were decided on the basis of the best score on the second day, leaving Bailey in 3rd and Paul in 4th place.

Park and Casey finished in 5th and 6th places, respectively.

Club captain Bill Scarth thanked the sponsors, players, organisers and the volunteers for making the weekend possible. The prizes were presented by Dr Pete Bartlett, chief executive of platinum sponsor, Bapco.

Although the main tournament is a Gross competition, prizes were also awarded to the best Net players.

After receiving her silver dhow trophy, Hobday thanked everyone for their support and said she was happy that she had followed in the footsteps of her daughter, Suzanna, who was the 22nd Bahrain Ladies Open champion in 2009.

Suzanna had participated in the Ladies Open at the AGC for the previous two years, finishing just outside the top 10. However, third time lucky, the 17-year-old wonder made her mark in the history books by becoming the youngest Ladies Open winner.

The tournament director was Steve Brown.

Results:
Open Champion & Silver Dhow Trophy: Sarah Hobday (177 strokes)
Runner-up: Susan Scott (183)
3rd place: Nicky Bailey (185)
4th place: Ariette Paul (185)
5th place: Nicky Park (188)
6th place: Noelle Casey (191)
Best net overall & best net trophy: Hyun Ju Lee (125)
Best net overall runner-up: Metje Alink (146)
Best net day 2 (outside main prizes): Kerry Diaper (73)
Best net day 1 (outside main prizes): Yvonne Addison (72)