SAMANANAH OPEN OVER JACK NICKLAUS COURSE, MARRAKESH

PHILIP McLEAN HAS FOUR BIRDIES IN A 

ROW TO BE LEADING SCOT AFTER 

FIRST  ROUND IN MOROCCO

Peterhead's Philip McLean (pictured) strung four birdies together around the turn to be the best placed of the five Scots in the field at the end of the first round of  the Samanah Open over the championship course designed by Jack Nicklaus at Samanah Country Club, Marrakesh in Morocco.
Playing out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, McLean birdied the ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 16th but cancelled out all his good work with five bogeys for a par round of 72.
Philip's bogeys came at the second, third, fourth, 13th and 17th in halves of 38 and 34.
That left him in joint 25th place - six shots behind French leader Eduard Espana - in a field of 120. 
England's Max Orrin is snapping at the Frenchman's heels with a 67.
McLean's team-mates Jordan Findlay and David Law are joint 41st and 66th respectively after scores of 73 and 75.
Findlay birdied the fifth, sixth and 16th but shed shots to par at the 10th, 11th, 13th and 15th.
Law usually plays well in Morocco but today was an exception to the rule for the Aberdonian who birdied only the fifth and long 12th in halves of 38 and 37th.
His bogeys came at the third, sixth, seventh and 15th.
Nicklaus never designed an easy course in his life and off the championship tees Samannah can be a punish track if you stray off the straight and narrow.
Pollok's Conor O'Neil had a 78 for joint 91st place while rookie pro Craig Lawrie had an 81 for a share of 107th place.
O'Neil was five over par after eight holes, having a double bogey 6 at the fourth and single bogeys at the second, third and eighth. A birdie at the ninth got him out in in 40 but he dropped further shots at the 11th, 15th and 18th with only one birdie to offset, at the 16th.
Craig Lawrie had only one birdeie, at the short second in halves of 40-41. He had a double bogey 5 at the short 14th plus eight bogeys.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
66 Eduard Espana (Fra)
67 Max Orrin (Eng)
68 Philipp Mejow (Ger), David Antonelli (Fra), Oliver Rozner (Fra)
SELECTED SCORES
70 James Wilson (Eng) (T12)
72 Neil Raymond (Eng), Philip McLean (Sco) (T25)
73 Jordan Findlay (Sco), James Johnson (Eng) (T41).
75 David Law (Sco), Nathan Kimsey (Eng), Brad Hannah (Eng) (T66)
78 Conor O'Neil (Sco), Richard Glen (Eng) (T91)
79 Tom Boys (Eng) (T97)
81 Craig Lawrie (Sco) (T107).