GOLF – Brandon Robinson-Thompson carded a sensational new course record at The Royal Golf Club yesterday to take the lead after the first day of play in the 2025 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship – the kingdom’s most prestigious golf tournament, held as part of the DP World Tour.
The Englishman hailed his 11-under-par 61 as one of his best-ever rounds and raised hopes of a 59 in a memorable opening 18 holes.
“I think it’s my lowest round as a professional, let alone on the DP World Tour,” he said. “It has to be up there with a Sunday to close last year.”
Early starter Robinson-Thompson flew out of the blocks yesterday, making the most of benign morning conditions to fire a front-nine 29 that featured two eagles and three birdies.
And when he reeled off four successive birdies from the 12th to get to 11 under, the prospect of Robinson-Thompson entering the record books as only the second player to shoot a sub-60 round in DP World Tour history was on everyone’s lips.
Although his birdie run was broken at the 16th as his superb birdie try from 30 feet somehow stayed above ground, the 32-year-old birdied the 17th from long range to move to 12 under and within touching distance of a 59.
But, needing a birdie on the par-four last hole to achieve the feat, Robinson-Thompson finished with his only bogey of the day after going long with his approach from a fairway bunker.
With the wind getting stronger in the afternoon, Robinson-Thompson’s 11-under-par total saw him lead by three shots at the end of the round, with fellow-morning starter and countryman Callum Tarren as his closest challenger on an eight-under-par score of 64.
Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal, France’s Martin Couvra, Scotsman Richie Ramsay, and Finn Tapio Pulkkanen were in a tie for third, another two shots further back.
Rookie Robinson-Thompson beat the previous course record of 64 held by France’s Tom Vaillant last year by three shots, and he was taking plenty of positives from the day despite the disappointment of missing out on a 59.
“I know it’s the first round, but 61, that has to be first or second, surely,” he said.
His round clicked into gear with an eagle at the par-five third, before he backed it up immediately with a birdie on the 443-yard fourth. Further gains followed at the sixth and eighth before he closed out his front nine by rolling in an eagle putt from 28 feet.
His run of four straight birdies from the 12th through to the 15th followed to put everyone on a 59 watch, and he lipped out for five in a row from distance at the par-three 16th.
His chance at history was back on though when his putter delivered again at the 17th, before his dropped shot at the last.
Asked when he first became aware of the possibility of a 59, Robinson-Thompson said: “After about nine holes!
“And then I hit it to about four feet on 10, and I was like, ‘Oh’…Unfortunately I missed that one.
“It was just an accumulation of a lot of good decision-making and execution.
“I didn’t really picture it this morning when it was raining and there were forecasts of super-strong winds. Very happy to get off to the start I did. Little bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but I holed my fair share.”
Of the Bahraini players, Khalifa Alkaabi coped best with the tough conditions, shooting a three-over-par 75. Ali Al Kowari played an 18-over 90, while Yaseen Le Falher was disqualified for an incorrect scorecard, according to an official.
The second round continues today at The Royal Golf Club with the first group scheduled to tee off at 6.30am. Robinson-Thompson is set to begin his round at 11.50am, with the final group slated for a 12.40pm tee-off.
In addition to the elite competition on the greens, the 2025 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship promises an exciting lineup of off-course highlights in the Championship Village, designed to entertain friends, families, and fans of all ages.
In addition to the free general admission, elevated and premium experiences are also available.
Registration for all ticket options is open on manama.platinumlist.net
WHAT THEY SAID
Brandon Robinson-Thompson (England, 1st, 61): “Everyone keeps saying it (it’s tough to follow a low round) but I’ll just keep doing the same stuff, me and my caddie. Had a new caddie (Rich Hill) these last couple of weeks. We get along well, we talk through stuff well, we’ll just be doing a lot of the same stuff, having a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it as I would any other round.”
Callum Tarren (England, 2nd, 64): “The greens are very slopey, sections of the greens, just need to be very disciplined with your lines into greens and your numbers. I did a good job of that today with my caddie, and hopefully more of the same.”
Richie Ramsay (Scotland, T-3rd, 66): “I saw five, six, seven or even eight under, but, when I saw 12 under after Brandon got to that, I didn’t really see it, even though he was out early when it was definitely more favourable conditions. Eleven under is still a hell of a score – very impressive!”
Pablo Larrazabal (Spain, T-3rd, 66): “Ten minutes before I teed off, I was eleven shots behind. It’s one of those things, but I know how to play 72-hole tournaments. This is not how fast you run at the beginning – this is a marathon. In the marathon, who cares about the first 10k – it’s all about the 42k.”
Ali Al Kowari (Bahrain, 130th, 90): “Today was hard, I didn’t play well at all. The experience was good, but not the shots. The wind was tough and the weather was really cold. I hope tomorrow will be better. I had a few good shots today but mostly struggled. Still, I am not giving up and will continue to fight tomorrow.”
Top stories for today:
Home renovation for poor families proposed
Emirati billionaire Al Habtoor says he is afraid to set foot in Lebanon
Bid to end row over social media misuse punishments
&uuid=(email))