Al Ain: Lee Corfield held his nerve coming down the home stretch to defend his title at the Mena Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club on Tuesday.
One shot in front at the start of the final round, the Englishman closed with a 66 to reach 14-under, three shots ahead of compatriot Joshua White, with four players, headed by Scotland’s Tom Buchanan, sharing third place on 10-under.
White’s runner-up finish was good enough for him to claim the title of 2014 Mena Golf Tour champion with $28,471 (Dh104,555) in earnings as he upstaged fellow Englishmen Luke Joy ($27,066) and Zane Scotland ($25,604), who occupied the first two places at the start of the tour finale.
“I stayed focused on my game though I knew Tom [Buchanan] was closing in. In the end, it feels nice to get the job done. I think patience was the key,” said Corfield after receiving the winner’s trophy and a cheque for $13,500 from Shaikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, president of the Arab Golf Federation.
Khalfan Al Kaabi, a board member of the Emirates Golf Federation, Mohammad Rashid Al Nasseri, general manager of Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club, and Mohammad Juma Bu Amim, Mena Tour chairman, completed the prizegiving party.
“With so many players bunched at the top, I knew it was going to be close, but I concentrated on one shot at a time, as if each was the first shot of the day. Also, I was a bit lucky with the putter and holed some nice putts at the right time,” said 32-year-old Corfield.
Buchanan had his chance to surpass the overnight leader, but three bogeys in the final four holes denied the head pro at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club a shot at the championship.
“I started off pretty well, but the finish was quite disappointing. Maybe I tightened up a bit,” said the Scotsman, who made the turn at five under.
“If someone had offered me a 67 before the round, I would have gladly taken it. Overall, I am quite of proud of myself the way I played,” added Buchanan, who shared third place with England’s Jake Shepherd, Spain’s Tony Ferrer and amateur James Allan.
England’s White said he was over the moon at winning the Order of Merit title. “I didn’t set any goals coming to this tournament, but I am quite pleased with the way things turned out for me,” he said.
“Lee played a great game under pressure and deserved to win. I am more than happy with my runner-up finish. I am really looking forward to playing in the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.”
White who will join Joy and Scotland in the starting line-up of the Dubai Desert Classic — the European Tour’s longest-running tournament in the region — along with Allan, the winner of the amateur Order of Merit title.
Morocco’s Ahmad Marjane closed with a 69 to move to six-under, winning the Mena Division for professionals ahead of compatriots Faycal Serghini and Amine Joudar, while Mahdi Saissi held sway in the region’s amateur category after a final 66 saw him reach four under for the tournament.
While the top three professionals and the leading amateur receive invitations to the Dubai Desert Classic, the top eight professionals and the top three amateurs on their respective orders of merit also qualify for the Dubai Open, the Asian Tour’s final event in 2014, to be played at the Els Club in December.
