The DP World Tour continues its International Swing this week at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. Here are your five things to know.
The Tour’s history in Bahrain
It is 15 years since the DP World Tour first visited the Kingdom of Bahrain, when the inaugural edition of the Volvo Golf Champions took place at Royal Golf Club in 2011. Paul Casey came out on top then from a field that included Major winners Darren Clarke, Pádraig Harrington, Todd Hamilton and José María Olazábal. After a 13-year gap, the Tour returned in 2024 for the Bahrain Championship, won by Dylan Frittelli. Last season, Laurie Canter came through a three-man play-off with Pablo Larrazábal and Dan Brown. This is now the third edition of the tournament held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Canter defends
Victory for Canter last year came during an impressive period of consistency, with his second DP World Tour title coming off the back of a third-place finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in the Rolex Series a week earlier. The Englishman went on to finish second at the Investec South African Open Championship, losing in a play-off to home favourite Dylan Naidoo, but it did not stop him winning the International Swing. His form saw him climb into the world’s top 50, earning exemptions into THE PLAYERS Championship and The Masters.
Inside the field
As the third consecutive event on the DP World Tour to be played in the Middle East after the Dubai Invitational and Hero Dubai Desert Classic, a host of players who were in Rolex Series action last week have made the trip over to Bahrain. Among those, Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World leader Jayden Schaper is chasing a third title already this season, Martin Couvra is hoping to show why he was named 2025 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and 2024 HotelPlanner Tour graduate Angel Ayora is chasing a maiden DP World Tour win. Three-time Major winner Harrington, who is nearing his 500th DP World Tour start, returns for a second year in a row, while Matteo Manassero, Antoine Rozner, Niklas Nørgaard and Rikuya Hoshino all held dual membership with the PGA TOUR last year. Yanhan Zhou, 17, will make his first DP World Tour start outside of China, having won the China Tour's Order of Merit last year to earn his exemption for this season. Patrick Reed - fresh from his victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – also tees it up. Sergio Garcia, another fellow former Masters winner, is among the invitees this week, with the Spaniard joined by France's Alexander Levy and England's Tom Sloman, who successfully defended his title at the King Hamad Trophy at Royal Golf Club last year to earn his place.
READ MORE:
Xunshu and Yanhan Zhou write another chapter in remarkable father-son story
Course record
Could we see our first course record broken on the 2026 Race to Dubai season this week? Well, 61 is the target to beat at Royal Golf Club after Brandon Robinson Thompson recorded that score 12 months ago during the first round. Needing a birdie at the 18th to become just the second player after fellow Englishman Oliver Fisher to card a 59, he unfortunately finished with a bogey. It was still more than good enough to better the previous low of 64 posted by Tom Vaillant in 2024. Should the course record be broken, the player will receive $70,000 through the Course Record Presented by Nexo initiative.
A chance to shine
Through the Kingdom’s national qualifying pathway, three Bahraini golfers have played their way into the field. As part of an effort to grow golf domestically, the initiative provides local players with invaluable experience of competing at the highest level. Ahmed Alzayed qualified as the best Bahraini finisher at the King Hamad Trophy, Khalifa Almaraisi earned his place by topping the Bahrain Golf Association rankings after the final event of 2025, and Ali Mohamed Alkowari came through the National Team Qualifying tournament. "I’m so proud to be playing in this championship," said Alzayed, who carries a +2.4 handicap. “This is my second time participating in this event and I would like to thank Bapco Energies for organising the biggest event in the country and the Bahrain Golf Association for giving national team players the chance to participate. I’m focused on representing my country in the best way and looking forward to playing with the best tour players to gain more experience."
