Scottish Challenge champion comes close to shooting 59 on DP World Tour
Brandon Robinson Thompson reproduces Newmachar form in Bahrain Championship
He shot the lights out when winning the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A by eight shots at Newmachar last year and Brandon Robinson Thompson was at it again in the opening round of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
One of the game’s colourful characters, the Englishman had a chance, in fact, to become only the second player in the DP World Tour’s history to card a 59 after picking up two eagles and eight birdies to sit on 12-under-par playing the final hole at the Colin Montgomerie-designed Royal Golf Club.
But, while one of his playing partners, Frenchman Martin Couvra, almost holed his second shot to leave a tap-in birdie, it wasn’t to be for Robinson Thompson as he missed out on the opportunity to join one of his compatriots, Oliver Fisher, in the record books.
His tee shot missed the fairway and, from a sandy waste area, the 32-year-old’s approach flew green, leading to his sole bogey of the day. His 61 - one less than his third-round effort at Newmachar - was a new course record, but Robinson Thompson had something bigger in his sights.
“After nine holes,” he replied to being asked when he was aware that a 59 could be on the cards. “Then I hit it to about four feet on ten and I was like ‘oh!’ but, unfortunately, I missed that one.”
Though admitting the finish had left a “little bit of a sour taste in my mouth”, the scintillating effort earned Robinson Thompson a three-shot lead over fellow Englishman Callum Tarren, with Richie Ramsay among four players ending the day on six under.
“I think it’s my lowest round as a professional, let alone on the DP World Tour,” said the leader, who holed from 16 feet for his first eagle at the par-5 third then emulated the feat by knocking in a 27-footer at the ninth.
“It has to be up there with a Sunday to close out a Challenge Tour event last year. I know it’s the first round but 61 - that’s up there!”
Ramsay carded eight birdies in his 66, which was more like it from the 41-year-old Edinburgh-based Aberdonian after missing the cut in last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
“It sounds funny, but I focused on one thing today,” said Ramsay of what had been behind his promising start. “At the start of a new year, it’s easy to go down a lot of rabbit holes and I’ve got a lot of options with equipment as I’ve got no contract at the moment.
“That can lead to having a lot of stuff on your mind, so I just focused today on what I needed to do, which was having a clear swing thought and not having too many things going on in your head.
“It was nice to play with Scott [Jamieson] as I obviously know him and Gav [Green] has been out here a while as well, so it was a good three-ball. Gav is quite long, but I was just trying to play my own game, focus on that and not worry about what anyone else was doing and not give up any energy to that.
“I’ve been out here a long time, so I should know better in the first couple of tournaments of the year, especially last week, but, to be honest, I fell into that trap a little bit.”
Despite driving out of bounds at the last and finishing with his only bogey, in-form Connor Syme fared next best among the Scots with a three-under 69, one better than Jamieson.
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