MENA SCOREBOARD - Muscat Hills Golf Citizen Championship Round 1

Scottish amateur Ben Alexander shoots best 

ever 67 to share lead

MUSCAT, Oman— Young amateur Ben Alexander, pictured, shot a career-best five-under 67 to join Stuart Archibald, Christofer Blomstrand and Cyril Suk atop the leaderboard on the opening day of the Muscat Hills Golf Citizen Championship here on Monday.

The 21-year-old Scottish prodigy from the Renaissance Club, Dirleton, near North Berwick, rebounded from an early bogey on the first with two birdies on the front nine and picked up three more shots coming home, including an eagle on the par-5, 13th, to introduce himself on the MENA Golf Tour after missing the cut in all of his six previous outings.

In all, Alexander had one eagle and four birdies (fourth, seventh, 10th and 15th). His only bogey came at the first.

England’s Archibald and Sweden’s Blomstrand went bogey-free while Czech Republic Suk, who won the 2014 Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open, reeled off four birdies in his last seven holes to move into a four-way tie for the lead.

Sweden’s Per Barth, the winner of the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open last month, was placed solo fifth a further shots adrift with Aberdeen's Clarke Lutton, who won last week at The Els Club, heading a 10-man group at three-under.

On a hot and humid day when 30 players broke par, Alexander made his presence felt with a tidy round, but he was not too excited. “I should have been a lot lower ... missed many short putts,” said Alexander, who is playing in his first season on the tour.

“I was feeling mentally much stronger and that was the key,” said the Scot, who started playing competitive golf only a year back.

Of his eagle on the 13th, he said: “I missed the fairway off the tee, but hit my four-iron from 221 years to within two feet of the pin. It certainly lifted my round and my spirits,” he added.

England’s Archibald, who finished in solo third at last week’s event at The Els Club, sounded very pleased with his day’s work.

“I really didn’t know what to expect when I teed off, but things fell into place as the round wore on. I drove the ball well and hit my approaches close to the pin,” said Archibald, who made the turn at one under.

“I chipped in on the 18th for a birdie which was quite nice. In fact, I played the last three well, but missed out on a five-footer for a birdie on the 16^th, which was a shame.

“The course is very well designed. It’s just that the greens are a bit tough to read,” said the 31-year-old from Hampshire.

Elsewhere, England’s Joshua White, who won the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit title last year, carded a 71 while India’s Rayhan Thomas returned a two-under 70, highlighted by an eagle on the 13^th, to occupy solo second in amateur division behind Alexander.

Fellow Scots Ted Innes-Ker and Paul Doherty shot rounds of 74 and 76 respectively. Innes-Kerr is lying T44 and Doherty T59 in a field of 74 players.

LEADERBOARD
Par 72
67 Stuart Archibald (Eng), Cyril Suk (Cze Rep), Ben Alexander (Sco) (am), Chrisopher Blomstrand (Swe).
68 Per Barth (Swe).
SELECTED SCORES
69 Clarke Lutton (Sco), Dan Waite (Eng), Craig Hinton (Eng), Joe Heraty (Eng).
70 Daniel Owen (Eng) (T16)
74 Ted Innes-Ker (Sco) (T44)
76 Paul Doherty (Sco) (T59).
Field of 74 players

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