Alejandro Del Rey recorded the biggest win of his career with a dominant four-shot victory at the DP World Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
Del Rey took a two-shot lead heading into the final day at Al Hamra GC in the United Arab Emirates and never relinquished control, birdying three of the opening five holes to immediately break away from the chasing pack. It happened.
The Spaniard shot a bogey-free 66 to end the week at 22 under par, while England’s Marcus Armitage, playing with Del Rey and Jason Scrivener, was 4 under 68. He finished second and won his first DP World Tour title.
David Puig, who caught 5 birdies in the last 6 holes, shot a round of 65 that day, surpassing Scrivener and jumping to 3rd place, while England’s Joe Dean beat Ivan Cantero. Ivan Cantero and Sebastian Soderberg finished in a tie for 5th place.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed finished in a tie for eighth with Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, while Adrian Saddier’s final-round 68 included an incredible hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh hole. This is included.
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Frenchman Adrien Saddier hits a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh hole in the final round of the DP World Tour Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
How Del Rey completed her Middle East victory
Del Rey birdied the first hole to get within tap-in range on the second hole, then sank a 10-foot birdie on the par-4 fifth hole for a five-shot cushion and complete control of the tournament.
Armitage opened with six straight pars, but then followed up with back-to-back birdies from the seventh to get within three of Del Rey at the turn, but his playing partner extended the lead with a chip-in on the 11th green.
Del Rey recovered from a wayward drive on the next par 4 to birdie the hole 50 feet from the green in regulation, and then added another hole on the 13th to take a six-point lead, and Armitage parried his effort. Couldn’t catch up.
Armitage used the par-5 14th hole to try to reduce the deficit, but couldn’t get any closer to Del Rey. Del Rey was greeted by several Spaniards on the 18th green after finishing a bogey-free round with a tap-in par.
“It’s amazing,” Del Rey said. “Last year, I didn’t feel like I had as much fun on the course, because for me, just playing for 20th or 30th didn’t mean much.
“I’ve worked really hard since then because I didn’t want to stay in that position any longer. I feel like I’ve played with a lot of friends over the years who have won here and I know I can do it. I’m just glad I didn’t just show up.”
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Armitage rolled in from 10 feet on the final par 5 for a 4-under 68, his best finish on the DP World Tour since the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“Alejandro was fantastic today,” Armitage said. “I fought hard, but I didn’t have a good start and that put me behind eight pitches. I played well and broke some barriers that I didn’t think I could do. I’m proud of myself.
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“It wasn’t the weekend, but I’m sure it will be in the future. It was great! The points I gained today mean I can plan my schedule more clearly and spend more time at home. Go home and build on it. “Go ahead.”
What’s next?
The DP World Tour will be in the Middle East for its latest event, the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and ‘International Swing’ at the Royal GC in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The live coverage begins on Sky Sports Golf from 8.30am on Thursday. Get Sky Sports now or stream with no contract.
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