Dubai: Frenchman Antoine Schwartz played a stunning round of 10-under par 62 in tough conditions at Dubai Hills Golf Club on Tuesday to open up a five-shot lead in the Troon Series — Dubai Open presented by Turkish Airlines after the first round.
Despite playing in a steady afternoon wind, the 29-year-old Parisian went on a birdie binge and was an incredible 11-under par through his first 12 holes. That included nine birdies and an eagle from 30 feet on the par-5 11th hole.
A late bogey on the 16th hole put paid to his hopes of shooting the first-ever 59 on the Mena Tour, but the 62 was good enough for a five-shot advantage over England’s Benjamin David, Scotland’s Craig Ross and Dutchman Pierre Junior Verlaar.
Seven players were tied for fifth place at four-under par. That included Zane Scotland — the most successful player in the history of the Mena Tour with 10 wins — Luke Joy, who had to pull out of last week’s tournament at Ghala Golf Club after a suspected case of food poisoning, and Matthew Baldwin, leader of the Journey To Jordan (Order of Merit) and winner of the inaugural event of the season at Ayla Golf Club in Aqaba, Jordan.
“It was just an unbelievable day. I hit so many good shots today. Everything was just perfect,” said Schwartz, playing his first season on the Mena Tour. “Of course, you are thinking about a 59. The last five-six holes here are tough, and even more in the windy conditions that we faced almost throughout the day. I just tried to stay aggressive and I even gave myself a couple of chances, but it was not to be.
“I’d love to shoot 62 every day, but this one was very special because the golf course wasn’t playing easy because of the wind.”
