Mohammedia, Morocco: Paul Doherty won round two of the 10-stage Mena Golf Tour, claiming the Royal D’Anfa Open at 13 under par here on Saturday.
The 30-year-old Scotsman started the final round one shot off the pace but played the back nine on three under to close with a bogey-free 69. He beat closest rival and overnight leader Lee Corfield of England by two strokes.
England’s Ross McGowan, who won last week’s opening Mena Golf Tour event in Rabat, settled for solo third on 10-under after a final round 70, one ahead of Morocco’s Amine Joudar.
Joudar had the consolation of winning the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award for being the highest placed Arab golfer in the field.
“Winning my first event on the Mena Golf Tour is a massive achievement. I am really delighted with the way I have played,” said Doherty of his second professional win since turning professional in 2006.
“I played the final round without dropping a shot, which I think, is a massive thing. Obviously, the pressure of playing in the final group is always there, but I stuck to what I have been doing all week and feels good about getting the job done.”
England’s Corfield had his chances, but a double-bogey on the 13th proved costly as he returned a final round level-par 72, missing out on what would have been his fourth win on the tour.
Morocco’s Joudar was pleased with his best finish on the tour. “I was a little bit nervous out there, but managed to keep my keep my nerves under control when it mattered.
“Barring a wayward drive which resulted in a double bogey on the 16th, I think I played really well. Overall, a super day for me,” he added.
England’s James Alllan led from start to finish to win the amateur division on four-under par after closing with a level-par 72, four shots ahead of Switzerland’s Michael Harradine.
South Africa’s Thriston Arthur Lawrence, tied for 19th overnight on one under, made the biggest move of the day, firing a superb 65 – the best score of the tournament -- to finish strongly in a tie for the fourth on eight under.
Seven birdies, including five in a row from the fifth, on the front nine highlighted stunning efforts from the 18-year-old prodigy.
“I struck the ball really well and, more importantly, made some nice putts which was the key,” said Lawrence, who was playing in only his second Mena Tour event.
The Mena Golf Tour resumes after a summer break when the Dubai Creek Open gets under way on September 14.
