The 2026 Avalon Masters delivered exactly the kind of finish you want from a flagship event. Nawaz Hatteea took the title with 40 Stableford points, just one clear of Laurence Grisey, Arthur Mongelard and Devind Beeharry, who all finished tied on 39. It was a tightly packed leaderboard too, with Christophe Pellegrin, Lawrence Boodhoo and Jean Thierry Emmanuel Lapoule just another point back on 38.

What made Nawaz’s win especially interesting was that it was not a simple, smooth procession. From the draw, he started on the 5th hole, so his round unfolded differently from the traditional scorecard order. On the card itself, he returned a superb 24 Stableford points on holes 1 to 9 and 16 points on 10 to 18, but because of the shotgun start that stronger stretch actually came later in his round.

His start was solid, with 3 points on each of holes 5, 6 and 7, followed by steady 2-pointers on 8 and 9. The first real wobble came on 10 and 11, where he took 0 and 1 point, and that would have opened the door for the chasing pack. His response was the key moment of the day: a 4-point return on 12. Even after another dropped hole on 13, he settled himself, played steadily again, and then finished strongly when it mattered most. His closing run on holes 1 to 4 brought in 11 points, which is the sort of finish that wins tournaments.

Nawaz’s nerve got him over the line, but he had to recover, reset and keep moving, and that resilience was probably the difference between winning and finishing tied second.

There were some other strong stories in the field as well. Laurence Grisey made the biggest late push of the nearest challengers, coming home in 20 Stableford points to finish just one back on 39. Arthur Mongelard’s round looked one of the steadiest near the top, with a very balanced 21 points on the front side and 18 on the back. Devind Beeharry produced a brilliant 25-point front nine, which was the best early scoring burst among the leading players, but a quieter 14-point inward half left him tied for second rather than taking the title outright.

Jean Thierry Emmanuel Lapoule finished tied fifth on 38 Stableford points and returned the lowest gross score of 78.

Congratulations to all who took part in the event. A reminder too that there is not much longer to wait until the next championship test. Save the date for the Avalon Scottish Challenge, which takes place on 23 May.