Rayhan Thomas – Hamad Trophy
Dubai-based Rayhan Thomas shrugged off a runner-up finish in Singapore, at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in October, to defeat his arch-rival Mathiam Keyser by five strokes and win the second pro tournament of his career at the 11th King Hamad Trophy in Bahrain. The 19-year-old is ranked 20th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Held at Royal Golf Club and organized by Bahrain Golf Association, the King Hamad Trophy is the country’s premier annual golf championship.
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The victory ensured sweet revenge for Thomas who had lost to the South African at the 2017 Dubai Creek Open, a MENA Tour title he had famously hoisted the year before, aged just 16.
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Thomas will next follow in the footsteps of PGA TOUR star Rickie Fowler when he plays collegiate golf for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys in 2019.