In a thrilling final day at the Bahrain Championship, it was Laurie Canter who came through a tightly fought contest to secure a second DP World Tour title.
It had been a close affair over all 18 holes on Sunday, with 20 players within three shots of the leaders heading into the back nine but, as the final few holes went on, it appeared the experienced Pablo Larrazabal was going to take the crown and a 10th title on the circuit.
However, after a birdie at the 13th and calm, measured pars from the 14th to 17th, the Spaniard found himself leading by one playing the last and, finding the fairway and then the green, it seemed that he was on-course for the victory.
From 40-feet, though, Larrazabal misjudged his first putt and, faced with six-footer for the win, he couldn't convert, as a final hole three-putt put him into a share of the lead with Canter and Dan Brown, who both carded a three-under 69 and two-under 70 on Sunday.
In the playoff, it was advantage Canter, as he found the fairway, whilst Larrazabal found the water right and Brown the bunker left.
What followed, though, was an amazing shot from Larrazabal, who finished six-feet from the flag following a drop. However, Canter followed him with a spectacular 9-iron that ended up four-feet from the hole.
In the end, Brown would fail to get up-and-down, as a bogey dropped him out, with Larrazabal also unable to hole his par putt. That left Canter with two for the win, but he only needed one, as a birdie gave him the victory and carried on his impressive start to 2025.
Bahrain Championship Leaderboard
- 1st: -14 Laurie Canter (Won at first playoff hole)
- T2nd: -14 Daniel Brown, Pablo Larrazabal (Lost at first playoff hole)
- T4th: -13 David Puig, Martin Couvra, Ivan Cantero, Richie Ramsay
- T8th: -12 Brandon Robinson Thompson, Callum Tarren, Marcel Schneider, Joakim Lagergren, Jens Dantorp
- T13th: -11 Francesco Laporta, Andrea Pavan, Tapio Pulkkanen, Joe Dean, Jorge Campillo
Updates from...
WHAT A WAY TO WIN
World class from @LaurieCanter 👏A birdie on the first play-off hole to claim victory.#BahrainGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/MjltSAKagUFebruary 2, 2025
CANTER WINS
Brown and Larrazabal are unable to hole their par putts and, from five-feet, Canter has two for the victory. He only needs one though, as he rolls in his birdie putt to pick a second DP World Tour win.
BROWN BUNKER SHOT
It's a good lie for Brown in the bunker and, from distance, he needs to attack the flag. Striking his shot, he lands it on the correct level, but it spins right and around seven-feet from the flag. To be fair, it's a great shot under the circumstances.
APPROACH SHOTS
Larrazabal's tee shot did find the water and, taking a drop, he remains in the rough. However, the 41-year-old plays a magical shot that almost slam dunks in the hole! He will have around six-feet for an unlikely par and let's out a huge shout following the approach.
Next up is Canter and he plays an equally impressive approach that lands past the flag and spins inside Larrazabal's shot. In terms of Brown, he is in the fairway bunker and he finds the greenside bunker.
Once again, it's advantage Canter, who will have a birdie putt to likely win.
TEE SHOTS AT 18
Canter is up first and, with a hybrid, he stripes one down the centre of the fairway. Larrazabal is up next and, with his fairway wood, he pushes his tee shot right and into the water! Horrible news for the experienced Spaniard.
Finally, it's Brown to go and, hitting a fairway wood, he goes left and into the rough just past the bunkers. Larrazabal's tee shot was possibly in his head then. Either way, it's advantage Canter.
SO CLOSE AT THE LAST
We have a play-off.Pablo Larrazábal makes bogey on 18.🇪🇸 @plarrazabal 🏴 @LaurieCanter 🏴 @danbrown212 #BahrainGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/2RBFfwMXisFebruary 2, 2025
WHO IS YOUR MONEY ON?
Record-wise, both Canter and Brown have parred the 18th hole all four days this week, whilst Larrazabal has made one birdie, two pars and one bogey, with bogey coming about 15 minutes ago.
THREE PUTT FOR PABLO AND WE'RE HEADING FOR A PLAYOFF
Wow... I did not expect that. Hitting his first putt from 40-feet, Larrazabal finishes six-feet short and, having not seen the line, the Spaniard pushes his putt right and makes bogey.
Currently, it will be Canter, Brown and Larrazabel in the playoff, but if Robinson Thompson makes birdie, it will be a playoff. Waiting for the green to clear, the Englishman comes up short with his approach and doesn't hole his third shot, meaning we are heading for a three-man playoff.
PABLO FINDS THE GREEN
That was nervy from Larrazabal! Faced with 155-yards he pulls his shot left and, thankfully, it catches the green and rolls back to around 40-feet. Another yard longer and that was in the rough and would have been a near impossible up-and-down. The Spaniard will have two putts for the win, but this is far from over...
PERFECT FROM LARRAZABAL
The Spaniard needs two good shots here at the 18th and, from the tee, he produces the first one, with his fairway wood finding the right side of the fairway. He will have a wedge in to the green coming up.
BROWN PARS THE LAST
Faced with a near identical putt to Canter, Brown fires his attempt five-feet by the hole but converts the par putt coming back. He joins Canter at 14-under and will wait to see what Larrazabal does on the 18th
BOGEY FOR BRT
Robinson Thompson pulls his approach at the par 3 16th and, following a good chip shot, he is unable to convert for par, missing another putt on the high side.
Ahead, Brown plays a wedge shot from 115-yards on to the 18th green, albeit in a similar spot to Canter's. He will need to hole that to tie things up with Larrazabal, who has just seen his birdie putt at the 17th slide by the right side. He will lead by one going down the last.
CLASSY FROM LARRAZABAL
After bombing a drive of over 300-yards at the 17th, Larrazabal plays a nice wedge shot into the flag, which finishes around 12-feet away. He will have a nice look for birdie and to move into a two shot lead.
LARRAZABAL KEEPING AHEAD
The Spaniard is just off the edge of the green, but plays a gorgeous putt to near gimme range. He pars and remains ahead by one, looking rather calm in the process here in Bahrain.
Behind Larrazabal, Canter finds the green at the 18th hole, albeit some distance away at 35-feet. Striking his first putt, to tie the lead, it comes up well short of the hole, but Canter does roll in the par putt to set the clubhouse target at 14-under.
In terms of the leaderboard, Brown has just birdied the 17th to get to 14-under and into a share of second with one hole remaining, whilst Canter's playing partner Martin Couvra has birdied the 18th to get to 13-under.
CLOSING BOGEY FOR CANTERO
After going bunker-to-bunker with his second shot, Cantero misses his par putt at the final green to finish at 13-under. It's yet another strong week, though, for the Spaniard.
Behind Cantero, Canter is on the fairway at the 18th, whilst Larrazabal put his tee shot on the par 3 16th on the back edge of the green. You feel that should be a comfortable two putt for the 41-year-old.
PABLO PARS THE 15TH
After a decent chip from the first cut, Larrazabal rolls in his par putt to stay 15-under and one shot clear. It's a different story for his playing partner, Laporta, who can't get up-and-down and makes a double to drop back to 12-under.
COSTLY FINISH FOR PULKKANEN
After finding the water at the 17th, the Finn makes bogey and, at the 18th, he misses a short putt to finish with a double bogey. That's three shots gone in two holes, with Pulkkanen now outside the top 10.
LAPORTA FINDS THE WATER
Oh no! Playing alongside Larrazabal, Laporta finds the water with his second shot at the par 4 15th, with his hopes of winning likely gone as well. In terms of Larrazabal, the Spaniard puts his second shot down the flag but it comes up short and finishes in the rough.
WHAT A DRIVE FROM LARRAZABAL
The tee shot at the 15th is one of the danger shots on the closing stretch but, with driver, Larrazabal finds the fairway perfectly. He will have a great look for his upcoming approach.
Up ahead, Canter holes a nice par putt at the par 4 16th to remain at 14-under, one back, whilst Cantero pars the 17th to stay at the same number.
PARS AT THE 14TH
The par 5 14th has been playing as the easiest hole today and, following an average bunker shot, Larrazabal's birdie attempt just slides by the left side. He taps in for par, staying at 15-under.
In terms of his group, Francesco Laporta gets up-and-down for birdie and moves within one at 14-under, whilst Robinson-Thompson in the group behind finds the rough to the left of the 14th green. He will have a similar shot to Laporta.
HOW LARRAZABAL TOOK THE LEAD
A touch of class from @plarrazabal to take the solo-lead in Bahrain 👌#BahrainGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/agoKU8D5N2February 2, 2025
BRT FINDS BIRDIE AT THE 13TH
That's better from Robinson-Thompson, who makes a huge two-putt from 90-feet away. He is now back to 14-under, one back of Larrazabal, who pulls his approach at the par 5 14th just short of the bunker. He will have a chance to get up-and-down for the birdie.
LARRAZABAL GETS TO 15-UNDER
Finally someone gets to 15-under-par! Following his second shot, Larrazabal plays a delightful pitch shot to a few feet and will roll that in for a birdie to get to 15-under.
Elsewhere, Laurie Canter plays a great shot to tap-in range at the par 5 14th, with the birdie moving him to 14-under, whilst Pulkkanen holes a 15-footer for par to stay at 14-under, one back of Larrazabal. However, at the next hole, the 17th, Pulkkanen undoes all his hard work, finding the water off the tee.
BOGEY FOR BRT
After pulling his tee shot well left of the green on the par 3 12th, Robinson-Thompson plays a delightful pitch to six-feet but, once again, he can't roll the putt in for a par. He moves back to 13-under.
In front of the Englishman, Dan Brown has birdied the 13th to get to 13-under, whilst Larrazabal has missed the green to the right on the same hole, with the Spaniard faced with an up-and-down for birdie.
HOW DOES THAT MISS?
We've seen so many lip-outs in the last 30 minutes and, at the par 4 15th, Pulkkanen's birdie attempt finishes on the lip. That would have got him into the outright lead, but he stays at 14-under.
MISSED PUTTS
This really is getting tight! At the 12th, Larrazabal misses his birdie putt on the right side, whilst Robinson-Thompson has a great chance to move into the outright lead following a classy pitch at the 11th.
Faced with a six-footer, the Englishman's attempt slides by the right side and stays at 14-under. Up ahead, Ivan Cantero has just birdied the par 5 14th to get to 14-under, meaning we now have a four-way tie at the top.
ROUND OF THE DAY
The majority of the players are still out on the course in Bahrain and, in terms of the round of the day, it was Spain's David Puig who holds that accolade, with the LIV Golfer carding an eight-under round of 64.
He is in the clubhouse at 13-under and vaulted 23 spots on Sunday to sit in a huge share of third. It's yet another strong showing from Puig, who finished third at the Ras al Khaimah Championship and will get his LIV Golf campaign underway next week.
WHO IS GOING TO WIN THIS?
We've seen several players miss putts to get to 14-under and at the 11th, Larrazabal has just missed a birdie attempt to get to 15-under and take the outright lead!
Shortly after, Robinson Thompson just missed his birdie attempt to take the outright lead, whilst Tapio Pulkkanen has just birdied the par 5 13th to join the leaders at 14-under
THIS LEADERBOARD IS STACKED
Hello all and welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of the Bahrain Championship, where an extremely congested leaderboard is present at Royal GC.
Currently, Brandon Robinson Thompson and Pablo Larrazabal lead but, behind them, are a number of players and, right now, it really is anyone's to win!