Ras Al Khaimah: Niklas Lemke got the perfect start in his pursuit of a European Tour card at the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final, carding a round of six under par to lead the way alongside Adria Arnaus at Al Hamra Golf Club on day one of the season-ending tournament.
Swede Lemke, who sits in 37th place on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah, was hot on the greens, picking up his first birdie on the par 5 third before making four consecutive birdies from the fifth to eighth to put him in the hunt for one of the coveted European Tour cards available to the top 15 on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah Rankings following the tournament.
“It was pretty solid round, a little bit iffy at the beginning but I picked up the pace so that was nice,” said Lemke. “My aim is to get to the top 15 and to do so I have to win the tournament or claim the runner-up spot. It’s good to know exactly what I need to do in order to achieve my goal.
“This is my second Challenge Tour Grand Final appearance and Ras Al Khaimah is completely different when it comes to the practice rounds. It is more chilled and relaxed and it’s been a very nice week so far. We had a pretty solid game plan today and we stuck with it, if the wind does not turn around I think it will be a very similar outcome tomorrow.”
Spaniard Arnaus, who has already confirmed his European Tour playing privileges for next season in his first full year on the Challenge Tour, joined Lemke as the overnight leader after carding five birdies and an eagle on the on the 14th to sin perfect conditions in the northern emirate.
“We had a game plan from the off and we put that into place today,” said Arnaus, who is looking for a good result this week, which could lead to more tournament entries on next season’s European Tour. “I didn’t start the round in great form and wasn’t hitting it that well but I took advantage of my opportunities as my game grew throughout the round.
“The eagle on the 14th was huge for me and I finished my round well so I’m really hoping to get over the line and get the win this week. It would be really special for me to end the Challenge Tour season with a victory.”
Englishman Tom Murray and French duo Romain Langasque and Victor Perez are one shot back of the leaders. Murray currently occupies the 15th place on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah while Langasque sits in 25th, 10 places off a place on the European Tour next season. Perez lies in second place and will be hoping to continue his fine form as he aims for the Challenge Tour No. 1 crown.
