Scotland wins Mena Tour opener in Rabat

Rabat: England’s Zane Scotland led from start to finish to win the Royal Dar Es Salam Open, the opening event on the 2013 MENA Golf Tour schedule, on Thursday.

The Englishman closed out his win with a four-under-PAR 69 to go 10-under 209 for the tournament, five shots ahead of Morocco’s Younes Al Hassani.

Wales’ Stephen Dodd, the joint overnight leader with Scotland on six-under, finished tied for third on three-under, along with Ian Keenan of England and Greg Snow of Kenya on 216.

The Moroccans had more reason celebrate when young Ahmad Marjan emerged as the best amateur with a one-under 218, an impressive effort which also earned him his first top-ten finish in a Tour event.

Scotland, who has made it a habit of winning the first event on the MENA Golf Tour since its inception in 2011, once again produced solid golf to seal a wire-to-wire victory.

“I entered the tournament with no expectations in terms of results since it was my first competitive event after the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. I played with a free mind and that probably was the key to my success,” said the Englishman after receiving the winner’s trophy from

Saeed Muhayer Al Katbi of UAE Consulate in Rabat.

Mustapha Zine, chairman of the Moroccan Golf Federation, Bouftas Abdul Rahman, president of Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, and Mohammad Juma Bu Amim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, were also present at the presentation ceremony.

“I knew I had won the opening tournament in both previous editions of the MENA Golf Tour, but I tried not to think about it when I teed off in the morning. The thinking was to remain relaxed at work, and that did the trick.

“Obviously, I am pretty delighted with my efforts and hope to keep the momentum going when the tour travels to Mohammedia [for] next week’s Royal Golf D’Anfa Open,” said the former European Tour player.

Much was expected of Dodd, but the three-time winner on the European Tour just failed to find rhythm he showed in shooting a second-round 68.

“I played badly. Simple as that. I drove badly and putted even worse. Nothing clicked for me. This is golf, anything can happen,” said Dodd, who signed off with a three-over 76.

A double-bogey on the third and a further dropped on the next hole undermined his start to the final round, and he simply couldn’t recover despite many scoring opportunities.

Meanwhile, Morocco’s Al Hassani was pleased with his runner-up finish, his best effort on the MENA Golf Tour. “I think I played really well and could have scored even better, but made some mistakes out there,” said Hassani, who carded a one-under 72 in the final round.

Hassani’s much younger compatriot Marjan provided a glimpse of his vastly improved game with a creditable seventh-place finish.

“I feel more confident about my game and the credit should go the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation for inviting me to a training camp in Dubai.

“I have no intention of turning pro at the moment. There are still grey areas in my game that need improvement. But I am very pleased with the start to the MENA Golf Tour and will try to build on it,” said Marjan, who won the Tour’s Order of Merit title in 2011.

The next event on the MENA Golf Tour — the Royal Golf D’Anfa Open — gets under way on March 19 to 21.

A new initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour is supported by Omega and Mercedes-Benz. It is affiliated to the Arab Golf Federation and the R&A, golf’s governing body, and boasts a combined prize fund of $575,000 (Dh2.1 million), including $75,000 for the Tour Championship.