Manama, Bahrain: Laurie Canter saved his best until last as he beat Pablo Larrazabal and Dan Brown in a play-off to win the 2025 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and claim his second DP World Tour title.
The Englishman had looked like he was coming up just short after carding an eagle and a birdie in a flawless 69 to share the clubhouse lead on 14 under.
But he was given a lifeline when leader Larrazábal bogeyed the last to set up a play-off with Canter and countryman Brown.
And he took full advantage, producing a shot-of-the-day contender at the first extra hole to give himself a close-range birdie putt.
Canter made no mistake, nervelessly sinking the winning putt to enter the DP World Tour winner’s circle for the second time in a year, after his maiden victory at the European Open last season.
“It feels great,” said Canter, who was presented with the trophy by His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. “I really like had to hang in the first couple of rounds this week. I was scoring nicely, not great tee to green, just putting well.
“Last night I had a chat with my coach Mike Walker, and he gave me a couple of ideas to improve my iron play. I hit the ball great today and put it terribly. It’s just kind of how it goes.
“I am so chuffed to have stuck in there. It’s unfortunate what happened to Pablo (Larrazábal) but I’m absolutely delighted to have stuck in and got another win.”
Larrazábal and Brown shared second place on 14 under, one shot ahead of Martin Couvra, Ivan Cantero, Richie Ramsay and David Puig following a thrilling final round.
Canter started the day with two shots off the lead and parred the opening five holes before his round sprang into life at the par-four sixth as he secured a stunning hole-out eagle.
After seven more parts, Canter nearly repeated the trick at the 14th but instead had to settle for a tap-in birdie to move to 14 under.
He was unable to make any more birdies coming in, but when Larrazábal missed his six-foot par putt on the last, Canter seized his opportunity in the play-off, producing a delightful tee-shot before spinning his approach to tap-in range to win the trophy.
“A lot of the stuff I’ve kind of stumbled on at the beginning of this year, being part of the Team Cup and listening to a few of the speakers and people, how they deal with pressure,” said Canter. “So, I just said, ‘we’ve got a job to do here and let’s really knuckle into what we’re trying to do, hit some quality shots under pressure’, which is what we’re practising doing. And I did that great. The two swings I made in the play-off were super and then sort of limped the putt in, so it was nice to win with a three.”
Local players benefit from unique experience
The tournament had also provided a unique opportunity for some of Bahrain’s most talented golfers to gain crucial experience at elite level. Among them was Ali Alkowari, who said: “Playing this week on the DP World was really nice. It was a lot of fun, and I learned so much. I didn’t make the cut, but it was a great learning experience. I know by weaknesses and my strong points, so I know what I must work on. The tournament was a whole different level and a great experience.”
