Championships - Bahrain Open Golf Championship Competition

The Bahrain Open Championship was the first of its kind in the Gulf: a singles event open to any player meeting the handicap requirements. The MEOIGA (Middle East Oil Industry Golf Association) Tournament predates it, but this was a team tournament for countries of the region.

The Bahrain Open Championship is an off-stick two day Competition, and is the leading event of AGC's season. It is held over the two days of a weekend in March and is open to any player (Member or non-Member, man or woman) with a handicap up to the allowed limit. This limit is set to restrict the number of entrants to a number that the Course can handle, and currently (in March 2022) is a WHS playing handicap of 12.

The Championship Tees are used for this Competition. Additional Local Rules apply to the Competition, due to the presence of other items on the Course (e.g. marquee, prize display). The course and all practice facilities are open only to competitors on the two days of the competition, and on the afternoon of the preceding day.

Due to the large amount of administrative work involved in both the Bahrain Open Championship and the Bahrain Ladies Open Championship, it is necessary to create a temporary Bahrain Opens organising sub-committee, with at least one of its Members being a Member of the main Committee, to oversee the organisation of both Open Championships.

History

The commencement of the event was first announced in the September 11th 1963 edition of The Islander:

Golfers ready for winter: .. in addition to the usual full fixtures list, we have our professional arriving in early October, and next spring the exciting prospect of the first Bahrain Open Championship.

The following is a quotation from the programme of the 20th Bahrain Open in 1983:

Dr. Peter McGregor, who became a well known figure in Gulf golfing circles, was one of the main instigators for creating an 'Open' golf championship in the Gulf. As a result, 19 years ago [1964] a group of some 60 golfers teed off at Awali Golf Club in the first Bahrain Open Golf Tournament. The handicap limit was 20 - play started at the civilised hour of noon and there were really only three or four players who seriously considered they had a chance of winning. One of them, Ian Denver, tied with McGregor after 36 holes of play. In those days, the decider was a play-off over what are now [1983] holes 7, 8, and 9. Denver birdied every one to win and set the precedence for dramatic finishes. Now, the 1983 Open has more entries in the five handicap and below category that the entire field of 1964. Even with the lowest handicap in the Gulf, nine, we have a large entry of 149 and almost a dawn start. Regrettably, with the exception of the Misbah brothers (Rashid in 1977 and Ali, the holder) and Mohammed Ahmed Abdulla (the only three-time winner), none of our past champions will be present this [1983] year.

The following is a quotation from the programme of the 25th Bahrain Open in 1988 (the quotation has no author recorded):

I remember ........ of course, the first Bahrain Open in 1964. To us it was all very new and exciting and a logical step after the discontinued MEOGA (Middle East Oil Companies Golf Association) team trophy which Awali had won in Qatar a few- years earlier at their first and only attempt.

.....By present day standards the 1964 Open was a fairly simple affair. There were about 60 competitors who each paid an entrance fee of 10 rupees (now about 500 fils) to compete for the 3 gross and 2 net prizes. There was no dance or cabaret (the golf was the thing in those days!) and most of the competitors from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait arrived on the morning of the first round where, according to the conditions of play "they were allowed the privilege of the course for practice until 12 noon".

…..Ian Denver, a co-favourite with MacDonald and McGregor, duly won but Dave Worsham of Ras Tanura impressed everyone as one for the future. Between them those four were to win 18 "Opens" around the Gulf in the next decade or so as the golf "boom" in the Arabian Gulf got underway.

…..The first round in 1970 was chaotic! A strong wind in the morning became a dust storm by mid day with visibility down to 100 yards or so. Three and four putts per green became routine and when the golfers had finished they came into the club house with faces, hair, eyebrows covered in white dust! The late Dave Cunningham won with a total of 163 - the highest record in an open, but remarkable golf under those conditions. Tragedy that year for Al Kidd, one of the great putters, who, needing a 5 on the 18 to win or a 6 to tie, three putted for a 7.

…..Most Awali golf club Committees become obsessed with weather forecasts as the Open nears but apart from a hiccup in 1986 when only the first round was played we have been very lucky. (Written before the 1988 deluge!) 1967 was a very near thing, however, which would have been a pity, because that year the Open received a tremendous boost by the visit of professional Alex Fox. He arrived from Kuwait and almost immediately joined the mass of volunteers who were trying desperately to get the golf course into shape after heavy rain on the Wednesday morning.

…..They were rewarded with one of the most exciting opens ever played here. On the last day Fox, drawn with McDonald and McGregor, was in the lead with two holes to play but the Awali golfers each birdied the 17th & 18th McDonald to tie with Fox and McGregor to win with the last stroke of the tournament.

…..By the mid seventies the Open was a well established event and the original atmosphere of an old golfing pals reunion had been replaced by one which had a more international flavour and lower scores -- made easier possibly by the introduction of the plastic "mats"

…..We had the pleasure of watching some top class stuff from Taimur Hassan, World Cup player and Pakistan Champion, who won in 1976 and 1974. A strong group of competitors came from Dubai in 1980. Among them a former leading English amateur, Bob Mummery, who duly won.

…..But the most significant change was the emergence of the golfers from Rifa'a (now the Bahrain Golf Club) as a real force in the Arabian Golf game They have been in contention every year since Mohamed Abdullah made the break through and won in 1972. He was followed by Rashid Misbah (1977) and his brother Ali Misbah (1982/83) and now Ahdulla Sultan (1985/86). Abdulla has already won three times this season [1987/88] (Kuwait, Sharjah and ()man) and must obviously he the biggest threat to the holder, Alistair Webster, the first and so far, only professional to win the Open. It should be an interesting tournament!

…..The Open has had its ups and downs but over the years it has always been well worth doing and on many occasions well worth watching. (Our most severe critic has been silenced - he caddied in the Ladies Open!!).

…..There is no question that it and the other tournaments that followed have made a major contribution to the growth of the game in Bahrain and in the Arabian Gulf. But possibly most important of all -- it was a lot of fun!

In the Bahrain Open 1991, players faced a somewhat extra-ordinary situation. Here is the full article, authored by Liz Finlay, published in the 1993 Bahrain Open Programme describing this:

THE BAHRAIN OPEN 1964-1993 - 30 YEARS OF THE BAHRAIN OPEN 

In spring, they say, a young man's fancy turns to love. That's as may be - but here in Awali, although Spring brings with it a certain quickening of the pulse, it's not love that's responsible. The Bahrain Open has been responsible for this phenomenon for a full three decades and our affair with golf continues with unabated passion. 

For the past thirty years, the Bahrain Open, the oldest Open in the Gulf, has continued to grow in size and reputation. At the risk of incurring disdainful sniffs from the founder Members, (some of whom we are happy to have with us this year), the rather humble beginnings have developed into a very up-market affair. Take for example the first Open in 1964. Fifty six competitors entered the tournament and the entry fee of 10.00 rupees entitled them to play a practice round the morning of the first day's play. This may sound unlikely but as the first starting time was 1.30 pm this posed no great difficulty for the players, untroubled as they undoubtedly were by the curse of slow play. In sharp contrast, today's field of around 115 must begin at 7.00am prompt to enable the consistently full field to get round in daylight.

In the early days, caddies were readily available for the princely sum of 3 rupees - around 400 fils today. Nowadays, most of the latter-day caddies are now contenders for the Open in their own right and some recently unearthed photographs prove that at least three former caddies have gone on to win the Open, one of them, Abdulla Sultan, four times so far.

Everyone who has ever been involved in the organisation of an Open will remember the anxious gazes sky-wards in the preceding days. This year we have had more than our fair share of drenching but nothing seems to bring forth the fighting spirit of AGC Members more than the threat of losing their Open to the elements. On several occasions, Members have literally been on their hands and knees mopping up the greens so that play could commence. It is a credit to their dedication that in thirty years, only one Open has been postponed - the Silver Jubilee Open in 1988. The 9th tee-box still bears witness to the high water mark of that fateful year.

If the elements brought out our fighting spirit then the Gulf war must have been our finest hour. Not only was the weather threatening, so was Saddam. Against all odds (and against some of our Member's better judgement) the 1991 Open went ahead as planned. In the weeks preceding the Open and during the war, golf continued unabated at Awali though each trolley sported an extra bag containing a gas mask. Members took it in turns to wait at the clubhouse in case of a Scud alert. At the first sound of the siren, these intrepid St. Bernard's would rush out to the furthest reaches of the course to bring players back to the relative safety of the bar. The fourteenth hole has subsequently been renamed Missile Creek as at one point there was a Patriot missile battery close to the tee. Few of us will forget the sentry guards at the BDF airbase, close to Cardiac. Fearful of the putting our tee shot into the chasm, we had the dubious alternative of going too far left and being subjected to the sound of rifles being cocked.

This year, however, has all the hallmarks of a vintage Open. The field is surely the best ever assembled with a generous sprinkling of professionals, including past winners Alastair Webster, David Jagger and, for the first time, visiting teaching professional, Hedley Muscroft. It is interesting to note that there is an age difference of fifty four years between our most senior and most junior competitor. There are few other games where this small matter of half a century can be almost totally disregarded - indeed, it would be a rash man who would put money on which competitor produces a better result.

In addition, there is an ever-stronger contingent from the Bahrain Golf Club which has produced eleven Open winners so far. Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of this year's field is the presence of Dr. Peter MacGregor and Ian Denver. Their titanic battles for Open supremacy in the early days are part of AGC lore.

The fabric of the Clubhouse and course has undergone many changes over the years. The Bapco Club was our Clubhouse for a few years until it was razed to the ground in a fire. Subsequently, we found ourselves as guests at a camp which was later to become the Riffa Air Base. The Clubhouse has been at its present location for several years but has seen modifications and refurbishment. The course has also seen and continues to see many changes, the new sixth green being the most recent. The newly completed Administration Centre, courtesy of the departing RAF, has greatly enhanced the facilities available to the Committee. Many Members will recall that all club administration was once done at a small round table in the corner of the Clubhouse. Such is the nature of progress that we now require a far greater area to house our computers, faxes and various other technical wizardry.

Modifications and alterations, however well or poorly-received, are evidence that AGC is not a club content to rest on its laurels, but by constantly appraising and re-appraising our facilities we hope to be a club where golfers and the game of golf can continue to thrive. In this way, there seems to be no reason why golf in Bahrain should not be celebrated in the coming decades.

The Open was originally not two days play, 18 holes each day. An explanation of this was provided (by Bill Finlay, 4/5/08) as follows:

Prior to the construction of the Saudi Causeway bridge, Aramco competitors based near Dharan used an Aramco aircraft to fly in for the event. However they were under a tight schedule to fly back on the evening of the second day. At this time, the first day's field was restricted to 120, and the second day had a cut of 72 players. The shortened second day allowed an early completion and prize giving. For those that did not make the cut and were available to play, a 9-hole Consolation Plate competition was held [shown right].

However, Mike Cowell commented (19/3/09):

Actually, the second day had a field with all players up to the score of the 36^th place (so on occasions it was one or two more), and then the next 36 played in the 9-hole Plate.

This format was changed for the 1999 Open, and announced in The Gulf Daily News as follows:

Play begins at 9:30am today when competitors will play 18 holes followed by another 18 holes tomorrow. This is a new format for the competition. In all previous Bahrain Opens the number of entries was higher but there was a 'cut' after the first day's play with the players returning higher scores playing in a 'plate' (consolation) nine holes competition on Friday. The aim of the change according to Club President Martin MacSweeney is to 'improve the standard of the competition for the players'. He adds: 'to qualify for the entry players need to have a handicap of 9 or less. Despite this tighter selection process, there are still over 70 entries'.

In some of the Bahrain Open programmes, the schedule of events makes reference to a Calcutta Auction. This was to add an extra entertainment - its format is described in the March 6^th 1968 edition of The Islander:

At 6.30pm [on the first day of competition play] Martin Smyth will hold the Calcutta Auction in the Clubhouse, which should produce a few interesting transactions. At the auction the qualifiers for the second day's play will be sold individually to the highest bidder. The total pool will be divided as follows:

· Fifty percent to the owner of the player returning the best net score over the second 18 holes

· Twenty-five percent to the owner of the player returning the second best net score over the second 18 holes

· Twenty-five percent to the owner of the player returning the best gross score over the second 18 holes.

Mike Cowell remembered (on 19/3/09) one memorable moment at an Open prize giving.

[Noting that Bapco in the 1960s had already started replacing western expatriates with Bahrainis] In one of the early Bahrain Opens, a good crowd of players and non-players had assembled for the presentation, and there was a festival atmosphere. The carpet, prizes and lectern were set up on the 18^th green. The Bapco GM, L.D. Josephson, made reference in his speech to the improvement in the quality of the play of the Bahraini players in the field. He mentioned "One of these days, one of the Bahrainis will win". The voice of Bapco rigger Len Sharman was then heard from the back of the crowd "Because there'll be no other bug*** left".

Mike also mentioned:

Play-offs used to be over 3 holes: holes 1, 2, 3 (the now 7, 8, 9), then over 7, 8, 9 when the course order of play was changed, and now its sudden death starting at hole 1.

In recent years, play-offs are restricted to Hole 18, repeatedly if necessary. This gives a greater climax to the event, with the winning putt always in view of the crowd assembled at the Clubhouse.

For the Bahrain Opens held between the years of 1975 and 1992, the Bahrain Open Team Award was also presented. This had been won every year except one by the invincible Bahrain Golf Club team. After 1992, BGC had won the Award 14 times in a row, and it was decided to not present the Award further, due to the predictability that it would be won yet again by BGC.