Three months after losing his European Tour card and playing in his first competitive start of 2020, Joel Girrbach moved into a share of the lead with an opening 6-under-par 66 at the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open today.
The 26-year-old Swiss played his final ten holes in 6-under to join Germany’s Max Kramer and England’s David Hague at the top of the leaderboard.
Hole-out eagle
Hague, who turned pro after MENA Tour by Arena Qualifying School and recently finished runner-up at the NEWGIZA Open in Cairo, was 1-over through eight holes but quickly reeled off five birdies before a spectacular hole out eagle from a fairway bunker on the 17th took him to 6-under.
Dusseldorf-based Kramer is returning to professional golf this year after being diagnosed with an arrhythmic heart and playing just four events in 2019. He got to 7-under at one point but dropped a shot late on to fall into a share of the lead.
“I haven’t played a competitive round after missing out at the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School. It was a disappointing season and I put in a lot of work in my technique. This is the first competing round for me to see where my game is and I am very pleased with today,” – Joel Girrbach.
France’s Antoine Schwartz was alone in fourth place at five-under par 67, while there was a group of six players in the clubhouse with a 68 – Scotsman Scott Henry, the Irish duo of Paul McBride and Robin Dawson, Sweden’s Mathias Weiderman and the English pair of Tom Combe and Mitch Waite.
Saudi Arabia’s Bahrain-based Saud Al Sharif, a member of Royal Golf Club, was the leading amateur after a 1-under par 71.
