DINWIDDIE HANDILY PLACE BEHIND LEADER
AHOKAS IN SPANISH CHALLENGE

England’s Robert Dinwiddie, chasing a third Challenge Tour victory of the season to earn instant promotion to the European Tour, lies two shots behind clubhouse leader Antti Ahokas of Finland in the OKI Mahou Challenge de España.
Dinwiddie posted an opening five under par 67 at Campo de Layos in Spain to trail leader Ahokas after the first round was disrupted for two hours by a storm.
“It would be great to win the third one,” said Dinwiddie, winner of back-to-back titles last month with victories in the Scottish Challenge presented by Bank of Scotland Corporate and the Rolex Trophy.
“I just have to keep playing like this and see what happens. It’s a great start and we’ll see tomorrow. I played quite well all the way around and I putted very well. I changed my putter a couple of months ago, and it made the difference. I was playing well but not putting well, and now I am, so it gets the pressure out and I’m enjoying it a lot more.”
Ahokas picked up nine birdies and an eagle in his round and remained at the head of the field after the first round despite also throwing in a triple bogey and a bogey.
Spain’s Carlos Quevedo is also in the clubhouse at five under par 67 while Frenchman Francois Calmes on six under par and Spaniard Javier Colomo and Argentina’s Julio Zapata on five under par will complete their first rounds early Friday morning after darkness brought an end to the day’s play.
Ahokas said: “It was a weird round, I started with two easy birdies on the tenth and 12th, and then I don’t know what happened on 13th hole. I hit a bad drive and with the third shot I plugged it in bunker, got really upset and made a triple bogey. I’m glad I was able to get everything back together.”
Ahokas regrouped with birdies on the 14th and 16th before eagling the 17th, hitting an eight iron approach to three metres and holing the putt.
Another five birdies on the front nine took him to eight under par before he dropped a shot on the final hole.
LEADING CLUBHOUSE SCORES
65 A Ahokas (Fin)
67 C Quevedo (Esp), R Dinwiddie (Eng)
68 B Willman (Eng), D Seron (Esp), C Balmaseda (Esp), C Brazillier (Fra)
69 J Abbate (Arg), H Rey (Arg), F Widmark (Swe), P Baker (Eng), J McLeary (Sco)
70 J Theunis (Ger), A Velasco (Esp), F Zanotti (Ita), E De La Riva (Esp).
Other completed rounds:
72 P Whiteford (Sco).
73 S Henderson (Sco).
Uncompleted rounds include:
Eric Ramsay (Sco) one under par after 15 holes.
A McArthur (Sco) level par after 12 holes.
Robert Russell (Sco) three over par after nine holes.