Mohammedia, Morocco: Luke Joy will be looking to put his last week’s stunning near-miss behind him and return to the winning ways when he tees it up at the Royal Golf Mohammedia Open on Sunday, the second event on the Mena Tour’s Morocco swing.
The 29-year-old Englishman agonisingly lost a gut-wrenching playoff to Spain’s Leo Lilja on the sixth extra hole, settling for a second for the third time on the Mena Tour, but took home a lot of positives.
“I can’t say I’m not frustrated, not to get over the line last week, but the game is progressing nicely and I need to keep pushing forward and keep improving,” said Joy, a two-time winner on the tour who will join a strong 137-player field blazing with the ranks 13 winners, including Zane Scotland.
Scotland will be seeking a revenge of sorts after missing the cut last week as he bids to defend his title and gets his season back on track. For that to happen, the experienced Englishman quickly needs to get back into his groove as the field appears packed with many potential winners.
The return of Rayhan Thomas, who is coming off the back of three European Tour starts this season, will further spice up the competition along with 24-year-old Spanish rookie Lilja, who will be seeking back-to-back titles after his heroics in the season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open.
Currently ranked 105th amateur in the world and number one in India, Thomas, the 17-year-old Dubai based prodigy, flashed a glimpse of his burgeoning talent, making the cut at the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, eventually finishing in a tie for 60th place.
“I hope experience gained on European Tour events will come in handy. I will definitely try and give my best shot and see where that leaves me,” said Thomas, who is supported by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation.
Other notables in the field include experienced Andrew Marshall, Craig Hinton, the winner of the 2016 Mena Tour Order of Merit title, Lee Corfield, a four-time winner, former England cricketer Craig Kieswetter and Danny Poulter, the elder brother of European Tour Ryder Cup hero Ian.
Morocco’s Younes El Hassani will be backing himself for another strong showing after winning the Mena Division last week ahead of his compatriot Faycal Serghini, but he is thinking beyond the region’s honours. “I think my good enough to win the tournament and not just the division,” said El Hassani, who finished in a tie for fourth on six under last week, just two shots off the pace.
Netherland’s Pierre Junior Verlaar will be the player to watch in the amateur division as he aims to consolidate his lead in the division, which has attracted 21 entries, including 10 from Morocco. Verlaar led from start to finish last week to win by a staggering seven shots ahead over his nearest rival Todd Clements of England.
