BUCHANAN RECOVERS FROM SHAKY START IN QATAR CLASSIC

Tom Buchanan overcame an early double bogey at a short hole to be the leading Scot on par 72 at the end of the first round of this week's MENA Tour 54-hole event, the Qatar Classic at Doha Golf Club.
Buchanan, joint 11th, three shots behind the leader, South African Tyler Hogarty, birdied the fourth, long 10th, 14th and 16th in halves of 39 and 33. His scrappy start saw him run up a 5 at the short third and also drop shots at the fifth and sixth.
Buchanan is attached to the Al Ain Club in the Middle East.
Mortonhall's Greg Nicolson is joint 18th after a 73 which included four birdies and five bogeys in halves of 37-36.

QATAR CLASSIC
Doha Golf Club
FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 72
69 Tyler Hogarty (SAf)
70 Daniel Owen (Eng), Daniel Wardrop (Eng), Lee Corfield (Eng)
71 Stephen Dodd (Wal), Sergio Gutierrez Sanchez (Spa), Jonathan Fransson (Swe), Tom Boys (Eng), James Allan (Eng) (am), Hamza Amiun (Pak).
72 Tom Buchanan (Sco), Yasin Ali (Eng), Fredrik Quicker (Swe), Younes El Hassani (Mor), Ahmed Reda Rhazah (Mor), Zane Scotland (Eng).
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES:
73 Greg Nicolson (T18)
74 Steven Troup (T26)
76 Fraser McKenna, Ted Innes Ker (T41).
77 Clarke Lutton, Conor O'Neil (T58)
78 Graeme Stewart (T71)

ends