E-Paper
Sign In
Encouraging start for Dubai’s Rayhan Thomas in the Bahamas on Korn Ferry Tour
The Dubai Creek talent finishes tied 33rd in the first tournament of the season
- PUBLISHED: Fri 16 Jan 2026, 9:09 PM
- By:
- Nick Tarratt, Guest Golf Writer
- Share:
Dubai’s Rayhan Thomas (Ind) got off to a strong start in 2026 at The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island on the Korn Ferry Tour, shooting rounds of 64, 70, 66, and 72 for a 72-hole total of 272, 16 under par, finishing tied 33rd.
The 26-year-old is playing his second season on the Korn Ferry Tour, having regained his Korn Ferry Tour card at PGA Tour Qualifying School last month in Florida.
Recommended For You
He opened with a brilliant 64, which had to be completed on day two due to fading light and his late first-round tee time. At one point, Thomas stood eight under par after 15 holes, recording eight birdies before finishing the round with three pars early Monday morning.
Across all four rounds, Thomas recorded 23 birdies, five bogeys, and one double bogey, with the remainder of the holes played in par.
The quality of the Korn Ferry Tour continues to impress. The 36-hole cut fell at seven under, with only four players and two withdrawals failing to match par or better. The average round for the field was just over 68.6 on a 7,159-yard course.
The tournament winner was 33-year-old Taylor Dickson (US), who carded rounds of 67, 62, 67, and 65 for a 27-under-par total and a three-shot victory. Highlights included Dickson’s exceptional second round: starting on tee 10, he posted a 29 back nine (holes 1-9) featuring a birdie on hole one and eagles on holes four, seven, and nine, the first two par 5s and the last a par 4 measuring 433 yards, the eighth-toughest hole of the week.
The first two 2026 Korn Ferry Tour events in the Bahamas ran Sunday to Wednesday before the tour travels to Panama, 29 January – 1 February, resuming the traditional Thursday–Sunday schedule.
Thomas told Khaleej Times: “I played pretty solid all week in this first event of the season for both myself and the tour. I was a little nervous at the start, which is never a bad thing – but overall I was pretty happy with how I played.
"In the final round, I let it slip slightly mid-round, where I hit it in the water on hole nine and out of bounds on the next hole, but still managed five birdies in the round and match par with a 72.
"It is great to get the season off the ground, I have fond memories of the golf course from last year, we are playing next week, again in the Bahamas. I am really excited to have started the year so positively,” concluded Thomas.
Thomas’s next tournament is The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, scheduled Sunday 18 – Wednesday 21 January 2026, again with a $1 million purse.
For further information, visit: www.PGATour.com
