Ali Parlane carries lead into final round of Els Club Men’s Open
EGF Order of Merit Toby Bishop has a bad day in office with 81
Dubai: Ali Parlane (The Els Club) shot a first round of three-under par 69 to take a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the 36-hole Els Club Men’s Open, a qualifying event on the 2021-2022 Emirates Golf Federation Men’s Order of Merit.
Parlane, currently 10th in the seasonlong Men’s EGF Order of Merit, boasting a +3 handicap, opened up with a front nine of four under par 32, with birdies on holes 3, 4, 7 and 9.
A double bogey on the par-four 10th hole stopped Parlane from running away with the lead, but an eagle 3 on hole 13 put him back on track. A bogey, birdie, par and bogey finish over his last four holes, saw the leader finish with a 69.
Tied second on 74 were three players: Valdemar Kofod-Olsen (EGC, +1.8), Jonathan Selvaraj (Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, +6.1) and Louis Klein (The Els Club, +2.7).
Selveraj looked set to be a threat to Parlane after a front nine holes of 34, but he had to settle for a two over par score with five bogeys and just one birdie on his back nine. Klein had a mixed bag of a round with 5 birdies, 6 pars, and 7 bogeys.
21 players in the field broke 80.
The current leader of the Men’s EGF Order of Merit, Toby Bishop (Trump International Golf Club) shot a disappointing 81 to lie tied 27th.
The Men’s tee times for tomorrow’s final round are from 6.40 am, with the leaders out last at 11.44 am with the three-ball of Kofod-Olsen, Klein and Parlene.
Sunday also sees The Els Club Ladies Open, 2022, with a field of 22 players, including 11 players entered as non-members of the home club. The event is a qualifier for the 2021-2022 EGF Ladies’ Order of Merit.
Leading first round scores (Par-72)
A. Parlane (The Els Club) 69.
L. Klein (The Els Club) 74.
V. Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club) 74.
J. Selveraj (Yas Links, Abu Dhabi) 74.
J. Nash (Trump International Golf Club) 75.
J. Wiltshire (The Els Club) 75.
A. Gupta (Trump International Golf Club) 75.
M. Cashmore (Jumeirah Golf Estates) 76.
J. Mullane (The Els Club) 76