GOLF – The stage is set for the kingdom to welcome the elite of international golf next week for the 2025 edition of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, taking place for the second straight year at The Royal Golf Club.
Following the grand success of last year’s tournament, which marked the return of the DP World Tour to the kingdom for the first time in 13 years, a bigger and more exciting event has been lined up, featuring 132 of the world’s best golfers from 29 countries who will be competing for a share of the cool $2.5 million prize purse.
“We are really excited to be back,” DP World Tour Middle East director Tom Phillips told the GDN on the sidelines of a launch Press conference held yesterday at the competition venue. “Last year was a fantastic event, so we are really looking to build on the momentum and take that into this year.
“There have been some improvements to the golf course, we have an even stronger field with Major champions coming back, and a new title partner with Bapco Energies, so there’s lots to look forward to.”
Also in attendance at yesterday’s launch were General Sports Authority vice-chairman Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Tourism Minister Fatima Al Sairafi, Bahrain Olympic Committee secretary general Faris Al Kooheji, GSA CEO Dr Abdulrahman Askar, Bapco Energies Group CEO Mark Thomas, Bahrain International Golf Course Company chairman Captain Waleed Al Alawi, and NBB chief corporate communications officer Hisham Abu Alfateh, amongst other high-ranking officials.
Minister Al Sairafi spoke of the importance of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship to the kingdom’s sports tourism strategy and the major economic impact it brings.
“It is very exciting to have the DP World Tour for the second consecutive year,” said the minister.
“Such events have a significant economic impact on the kingdom, and it is part of our tourism strategy to position Bahrain as a sports tourism hub – not only regionally but internationally as well.”
Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship director Freddie Schmeisser revealed that the 2024 tournament generated an estimated economic impact of over $10.5m. It had a global media value of over $70.2m with more than 1,500 hours of live coverage from 330 international broadcasters, reaching 537.8m households worldwide.
More than 4,000 hotel room nights and over 600 international flights were booked for the event, which attracted close to 8,000 attendees, of which nearly 1,000 were staff or stakeholders working the weekend, including more than 600 from abroad.
Phillips was all praise for Bahrain for last year’s golfing spectacle.
“The feedback from the players, caddies, staff, and fans – everyone who was involved – was really positive,” he said. “The golf course provided an excellent test, but of course, here in Bahrain, you get the best hospitality.
“We were warmly welcomed and the highlight for all of us was having His Majesty King Hamad grace us for the prize presentation, along with His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
“We were truly humbled by the support we got last year and they’re all looking forward to coming back.”
The Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship is part of the International Swing on this year’s DP World Tour calendar. It will follow three straight events held this month in the UAE – the Team Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort, last week’s $9m Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club, and the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club, which gets underway today.
Phillips stressed on the importance of such regional competitions to the DP World Tour.
“The Middle East is pivotal to the tour,” he said. “We now have seven tournaments in the region, along with two on our Challenge Tour – which is our feeder tour – so nine in total.
“The support of countries like Bahrain is so vital for our tour and we’re really grateful for it.”
The star-studded field of competitors set to hit the fairways at The Royal Golf Club is headlined by defending champion Dylan Frittelli.
Other competitors include Major champions Padraig Harrington, Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed; Ryder Cup stars Robert Karlsson, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Nicolas Colsaerts, Jamie Donaldson, Ross Fisher, and Bernd Wiesberger; and DP World Tour winners Thorbjorn Olesen, Jorge Campillo, John Parry, Johannes Veerman, Elvis Smylie, Laurie Canter, and Romain Langasque.
There will also be three Bahrainis competing – Yaseen Le Falher, who was the leading local in last year’s Bahrain Amateur Open; Ali Al Kowari, the top-ranked Bahraini in last year’s King Hamad Trophy; and Khalifa Duaij Alkaabi, a Bahrain Golf Association qualifier.
“Last year, the course was in fantastic condition, but this year it is in even better condition and it is going to be more challenging for the golfers,” Captain Al Alawi told the GDN.
Of the course modifications, he added: “We worked on the speed of the putting greens and we added some more challenges to some of the holes.
“These are important because they keep the spectators excited until the last hole, so it’s going to be very interesting.
“We like the excitement and we like to make the course more challenging.”
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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