ALPS TOUR TEES OFF IN MOROCCO

Gavin Dear runner-up to Lawrence

Dodd after 17th hole double bogey

FROM THE ALPS TOUR WEBSITE
Englishman Lawrence Dodd has achieved his maiden victory with a three-stroke margin in Morocco today.
He shot a third-round 67 for a 54-hole final total of 17 under par 199 on the beautiful course of Golf de Mogador at Essaouira.
Scotsman Gavin Dear from Scone, Perthshire finished second at 14 under par 202 after a closing 70. Dear, who earned 5,797 Euros compared with Dodds' 8,534 Euros payslip, finished six shots ahead of the third-placed pair.
Dear and Dodd were in the last group. Dodd birdied the first two holes and it seemed that he was on an easy road to win.
But Dear closed the gap and showed ahead after the fifth. Dodd had to wait until the ninth hole to draw level again.
On the 12th hole, with both players at 14 under par, Dear missed a short putt which would have given him the lead again.
On the par-3 13th, they both missed the green. Dodd did a beautiful bunker shot, and Dear a great chip and run for both to save par and remain tied.
Dodd revealed later the confidence-boosting effect that bunker recovery had on him.
“At the beginning of the last round, I was nervous. I did not feel very confident until my bunker shot at the 13th. Then I birdied the 14th and 15th to go two shots ahead - and, for the first time, I felt relaxed.”
Dear was still playing very solidly, but could not get the birdies he needed to close the gap again. The Scot drove the 15th hole perfectly over the forest, but could do no better than par. On 16th, a short par- 5, it was an easy birdie for both.
Dodd was leading by two strokes with two holes to play.
Dear, who had only dropped one shot in 52 holes, pushed his drive at the 17th and landed in the woods. As usual, Dodd found the fairway – he only missed two tee shots in three rounds.
Dear's recovery shot touched the top of a tree and stayed short of the green in a bunker. He finally three putted for a double bogey at this so-costly hole for him..
“As I felt a bit sick this morning I did not eat any lunch. I think I missed the energy that would have given me, on the 17th tee shot. That is not an excuse but it might explain the situation," said Dear.
Dodd parred the 18th for a 67 and his first win.
Dear's Perthshire colleague Steven Hume finished joint 31st on level par 216 with scores of 76, 70 and 70. He earned 702 Euros.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
199 Lawrence Dodd (England) 68 64 67 (Euros 8,534).
202 Gavin Dear (Scotland) 68 64 70 (Euros 5,797).
208 Damien Perrier (France) 70 69 69, Matteo Delpodio (Italyy) 69 73 66 (Euros 3,433 each).
209 Richard Kilpatrick (Northern Ireland) 68 71 70, Nicolas Joakmides (France) 74 66 68 (Euros 2,678 each).
210 Xavier Poncelet (France) 71 72 67, Carlos Balmaseda (Spain) 71 72 67 (Euros 2,089 each)
Selected totals
212 Ricki Neil-Jones (England) 72 70 70 (jt 9th) (Euros 1,354).
213 Jason Palmer (England) 70 72 71 (jt 14th) (Euros 1,047).
214 Mark Hooper (England) 72 71 71, Matthew Cryer (England) 74 71 69 (jt 19th) (Euros 877 each).
215 Sam Robinson (England) 71 69 75 (jt 28th) (Euros 759).
216 Steven Hume (Scotland) 76 70 70 (jt 31st) (Euros 702).
217 Matthew Baldwin (England) 72 75 70 (jt 36th) (Euros 671).
MISSED THE CUT (147 or better)
149 Farren Keenan (England) 78 71.
150 Nicholas Murtagh (England) 76 74.
151 Peter James (England) 74 77.
153 Max Brackley (England) 74 79.