Craig Hinton survived a late fight back from his fellow Englishman Scott Campbell to seal a tense wire-to-wire victory at the Abu Dhabi Open at Yas Links on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Englishman closed with a 69 to reach 13-under par for the tournament, edging Campbell by one shot for his second win on the Mena Golf Tour.
England’s Lee Corfield, playing in the final group alongside Hinton, finished third after carding a final round of 70 as Zane Scotland and his playing partner Joe Heraty shared fourth on nine under, one ahead of Spain’s Borja Cabello.
See also:
• Round 2: Zane Scotland 'feeling good about my game' as he closes in on leaders
• Round 1: Craig Hinton springs to front at Mena Tour's Abu Dhabi Open at Yas Links
“It was a pretty enjoyable week. This golf course is just fantastic. Stuck to my game plan and didn’t miss much. And if I did it was in the right areas and that gave me good scoring opportunities,” said Hinton after receiving the winner’s trophy.
“I think making a birdie on the 17th was crucial as it gave me a one-shot cushion standing on the 18th tee. During the whole week, I may have missed a few putts, but holed the crucial ones which was the key.”
Campbell, starting the day five shots off the pace, made things interesting, shooting an impressive 65 to set the clubhouse target at 12-under par.
“Played really well, but it wasn’t good enough to get over the line,” said Campbell, who made eight birdies and one bogey in his final round. “But I am very happy to finish the way I did.”
Morocco’s Younes El Hassani won the Mena Division for professionals on one under after carding a final round 70, beating his nearest challenger and compatriot Ahmed Marjan by one shot while Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla took the region’s leading amateur honours for the fourth time in a row.
The Mena Golf Tour will now travel to Kuwait City for the first time for the Sahara Kuwait Championship to be held at Sahara Golf and Country Club from October 17 to 19.
Leading final scores:
1. Craig Hinton (England) – 13 under
2. Scott Campbell (England) – 12 under
3. Lee Corfield (England) – 10 under
Leading amateur:
Pierre Junior Verlaar (Netherlands) – six under
Mena Division:
Leading professional: Younes El Hassani (Morocco) - one under
Leading amateur: Othman Almulla (Saudi Arabia) – level par (216)
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