Williams beats field by eight shots at Ayla Golf Club in MENA Tour’s Jordan 2 event

England junior international Robin Williams playing on the MENA Tour’s Journey to Jordan 2
England junior international Robin Williams on his way to a record-equalling eigh- shot victory against the pro’s in the Journey to Jordan 2, at Ayla Golf Club. Picture by MENA TOUR

ENGLAND junior international Robin “Tiger” Williams equalled the biggest-ever margin of victory on the MENA Tour – winning by eight shots in Jordan this week.

The 18-year-old from Peterborough Milton Golf Club, who has been touted as England’s next world star, produced a grandstand finish to win the sixth leg of the Dubai-based Tour, which can provide invites into some of the European and Asian Tours’ biggest events.

Williams birdied his final five holes to win the $100,000 Journey To Jordan-2 tournament, at Ayla Golf Club, in Aqaba, Jordan.

In the sixth leg of the 2019 season of the MENA Tour by Williams shot a final-round six-under par 66 to finish on 16-under for the 54-hole event.

That was eight better than the second-placed Jack Floydd, another amateur from Sussex.

Ranked 100th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Williams rewrote several records.

The England Boys cap, who was part of the winning Home Internationals team in August, became the third amateur champion in the history of the MENA Tour.

Williams was also the 20th player to lead wire-to-wire. His eight-shot win was the biggest margin of victory in a 54-hole tournament, matching the previous mark set by Matthew Baldwin, also at Ayla Golf Club in the Journey To Jordan-1.

Williams, who played in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup, made a birdie-birdie start and his lead was never threatened.

Despite making bogeys on the sixth and 13th holes, he was one-under par with a birdie on the par-three 12th hole.

The bogey on the par-five 13th triggered the birdie run which saw the South Africa-born player pick up shots in each of the final five holes.

Williams first became involved in the England Golf regional set-up as a 12-year-old.

As well as helping England win the Boys’ Home Internationals for the fourth year in a row at Ashburnham GC, he also played for his country at the European Boys’ Team Championships.

Williams also competed at the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School in September, and a final round 66 at Stoke-by-Nayland GC helped him finish fourth to qualify for November’s second stage.

Floydd, a member at Haywards Heath GC, shot a flawless 67 to finish ahead of  Burhill’s leading professionals Australia’s Daniel Gaunt (70) and South African MG Keyser (69).

The pair have both been winners in the 2019 season on the MENA Tour, and split the combined prize money for the first two places, because of Williams and Floydd’s amateur status.

Essex’s Curtis Knipes (70) completed a fantastic day for the amateurs as he finished tied fifth at six-under alongside Surrey’s Zane Scotland (67) – the MENA Tour’s most successful player, Chile’s Matias Calderon (66) and England’s Benjamin David (70).

You can see the final leaderboard by clicking here.

Another of England’s young stars gaining experience on the MENA Tour is Josh Hill, who is based in Dubai, and has been named in the England Boys team for 2020.

The 15-year-old has been playing alongside Wales’ Toby Bishop, who is in his country’s elite squad, and is also just 15 years old.

The next event on the MENA Tour is the Abu Dhabi Open by Arena at Yas Links from October 7-9. To see the field click here.

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