Five MENA Tour players are to embark on the golfing adventure of a lifetime after each securing a place in the US$150,000 3e Actuaries Open taking place in Equatorial Guinea from December 8-11 via the DSA Architects ‘Road to Mongomo’ Qualifier presented by Worldwide Golf held at Al Badia Golf Club.
The hotly anticipated qualifier featured a unique field which combined local club pros and MENA Tour players as they competed for a coveted all-expenses paid trip to pit themselves against a high quality international field in West Africa and a blistering finish from Jordan Garnish saw him take the top spot with a 4-under-par round of 68.
The Englishman carded two birdies and an eagle over his last four holes to surge up the leaderboard to win the AED3,000 winner’s cheque and book his seat on the plane to Mongomo in the process.
“I’m absolutely delighted to win this tournament,” said Garnish whose round of 68 in blustery conditions was comfortably in the upper range of those shot by the European Challenge Tour players who competed at Al Badia in the Tour’s grand final in 2013 and 2014.
“I played some really solid golf and am thrilled to travel to Equatorial Guinea in December to compete for a bigger purse than I’m used to and to experience golf in that part of the world.”
Fellow countryman Adam Sagar took the second qualification spot with an impressive round of 3-under 69 while Italy’s Rocco Sanjust and Spain’s Victor Bertan shared third place on 2-under 70.
Englishman Lee Corfield looked to have the fifth and final spot sewn up before a bogey on his final hole, the 17th, meant the event was set for a dramatic climax with a four-man play-off as he joined James Ashman, Craig Hinton and Louis Campbell, tied at level-par 72.
With the sun fading fast the players returned to the 18th tee and it was Englishman Hinton who came out on top, replicating the birdie putt he made on the same hole in regulation play to take fifth place. The quintet of qualifiers will now follow in the footsteps of fellow MENA Tour player Luke Joy who made the trip to Equatorial Guinea last year where he finished fourth.
“This was a brilliant tournament,” said Hinton. “The fact that I had already made a similar putt on the 18th in regulation gave me a lot of confidence and I can’t wait to go out to compete in Africa after all that Luke has told me about his trip last year.”
CEO of 3e Actuaries Olawale Opayinka, who was in Dubai for the qualifier, said: “It has been a really amazing day at Al Badia Golf Club and something I could only dream about a few years ago. It feels surreal having people play from the UAE, Europe, Africa and Asia competing to qualify to play in our tournament in Equatorial Guinea. The players competed very hard to get a ticket to Mongomo in December, which makes me very proud.
“We are embracing the game in Equatorial Guinea and the top five players will experience this passion in December. The five guys will experience this beautiful place, wonderful hospitality and a hidden gem of a golf course when they visit us to compete for $150,000. This will be a true golfing experience that every professional expects but also a little bit more than that.”
Luke Joy, who was at the event to cheer on his fellow players, said:“I was lucky enough to go to Equatorial Guinea last year on an invite and it was an unforgettable experience. The course is fantastic over there and the hospitality was superb. You really get taken care of and I’m sure the qualifiers from this event will have an incredible time in December.”
Gavin Sutherland, now Senior Teaching Professional at the European Tour Performance Institute and previously Senior Golf Academy Coach at Al Badia, came the closest of the local pros and held a share of the lead for a good stretch over the front nine. But in the end he finished 1-over-par 73, one place outside the play-off places.
ROAD TO MONGOMO QUALIFIERS
1 Jordan Garnish 4-under 68
2 Adam Sagar 3-under 69
3 Rocco Sanjust 2-under 70
4 Victor Bertan 2-under 70
5 Craig Hinton level 72 (playoff)
