Dubai: Austria’s Manuel Trappel shot four under par 69 to lead after round one of the Mena Golf Tour season-opening Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Open in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday.
In his first event on tour, Trappel wasted no time in making his presence felt with a solid round around the par 73 7376 yard course. He made the turn at level-par but lit up the back nine with four birdies, including three in a row from the 12th.
Morocco’s Faycal Serghini and English duo James Allan and Jack Hiluta are in second on three under par 70. And Ahmad Marjane, the first Arab winner on tour, shared fifth with compatriots Karim Al Hali and Ahmad Reda Rhazali on two under par 71, as four Moroccans made it into the leaderboard’s top seven.
For Serghini, who won the 2014 Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award for being last season’s best Arab professional, it was a roller coaster round, which contained four birdies, three bogeys and one eagle.
“I didn’t play well, especially on the front nine, spraying shots all over the place, but I had a few lucky bounces go my way,” said Serghini. “Things were a little better on the back nine, added the 39-year-old, who produced the shot of the day when he holed his approach from 118 yards for an eagle on the par four 13th.
Among the notables, England’s Joshua White, the winner of the 2014 Mena Golf Tour Order of Merit, shot one over par 74, while his compatriot 2013 Order of Merit winner Zane Scotland, who holds the record for most wins on tour with nine, settled for five over par 78.
White was pleased with his efforts despite a late stumble. “I was quite patient out there and played some good golf. Every part of the game fell in place though I dropped a couple of shots coming home, which was quite unfortunate,” said White, who started with a birdie but conceded a double bogey on the last after finding the bunker.
Scotland felt he played much better than his score suggests. “I didn’t putt well, simple as that. Couldn’t make any birdies despite hitting a couple of shots close to the pin,” he said.
England’s James Allan, the winner of the 2014 Order of Merit for Amateurs, set the tone of things to come, taking an early lead in the amateur division.
“Overall, I played really well and made some long putts to keep the round going,” said Allan.
