Duncan Stewart bogey, double-bogey finish 

costs him Sotogrande Masters lead


By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Edinburgh-based Duncan Stewart (Turnhouse) was the only Scot to break par in the first round of the MENA Tour's inaugural Sotogrande Masters today ... more than that - he should have ended a wet and windy day on the Costa del Sol in the lead!
Instead, Stewart shot a one-under-par 71 to be joint third, one shot behind joint lears Gavin Moynihan from Ireland and France's Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon.
Stewart birdied the first, long seventh, ninth, 10th, and two more par-5 holes, the 11th and 15th but, needing a par finish to lead, he bogeyed the 17th and had a double bogey 6 at the 18th.
Earlier bogeys were marked up at the third and sixth 
Aberdeen's David Law had a 74 including birdies at the third and 18th but four bogeys as the "meat in the sandwich."
Otherwise it was not a good dday for the Scots in the field of 80.
Ross Kellett had five bogeys and no birdies in a 77 for a share of 25th place.
Paul Shields could do no better than a 79 for joint 79th place while Danny Kay from the Lothians had a nightmare 85 which sees him languishing in joint 71st place.

SOTOGRANDE MASTERS
La Reserva Golf Club, Sotogrande, Spain
FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 72
70 G Moynihan (Ire), M Decottignies-Lagon (Fra)
71 D Stewart (Sco), L Corfield (Eng), J Gallegos (Spa), M Tulloh (Chile)

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
74 D Law (T15)
77 R Kellett (T25)
79 P Shields (T40)
85 D Kay (T71)

TWO SHARE LEAD AT MENA GOLF TOUR’S SOTOGRANDE MASTERS

Wet and windy conditions take its toll on scoring at La Reserva Club

SOTOGRANDE — Gavin Moynihan and Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon battled through wet and windy conditions to put themselves atop the leaderboard in the first round of the inaugural Sotogrande Masters on the MENA Golf Tour at La Reserva Golf Club today

Ireland’s Moynihan, pictured right, made three birdies and a bogey in his opening two-under 70 while Decottignies-Lafon of France kept it clean on the back nine as he picked up four shots after making the turn at two-over. 

In their first season on the tour, the two early frontrunners are led by one shot over a four-man group which included England’s Lee Corfield, a three-time winner, and Spain’s Javier Gallegos, who topped the MENA Golf Tour Qualifying School held earlier this year.

Scotland’s Duncan Stewart and Mark Tullo of Chile were the other two players who moved into a tie for third on one-under 71 as tough weather conditions took its toll with many prominent players in the field struggling to break par. 

Younes El Hassani carded a level-par 72 to lead the MENA Division for professionals while his fellow Moroccan Yassine Touhami seized the early initiative in the amateur division, returning a 76.

Among the notables, Wales’ Stephen Dodd, a three-time winner on the European Tour, and the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit champion, Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, were tied for 30^th on a 77, just one shot behind England’s Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner on the tour. 

England’s Andrew Marshall, who currently leads the tour’s Order of Merit with a second and a first in the first two events on the tour, shot a one-over 73 to stay in contention for another strong finish.

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