Wednesday, October 25, 2017


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Jurrian van der Vaart equalled the course record at Al Hamra GC to open up a two-shot lead after the first round of the Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge.
The Dutchman opened with an eight under par round of 64, matching the mark of Pep Angles and Paul Maddy in last year’s inaugural staging of the tournament, in a bogey-free 18 holes that featured six birdies and a stunning hole out for eagle on the 14th.
By his own admission, this season has not gone as van der Vaart would have hoped, with a best result of tied fifth in Denmark leaving him 96th in the Road to Oman Rankings and with work to do if he is to finish in the top 70 and keep his Challenge Tour card, let alone climb into the top 45 to contest next week’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.
“There’s been a lot of mediocre golf from me over the summer,” said the 31 year old. 
“It’s frustrating, knowing that it’s not very far away – we’re too good players to completely lose it – but missing cuts is never fun.
“I’m playing well, striking the ball lovely, holing some really nice putts and my wedge game was really good – I worked on a lot of stuff with my coach last week because you just fall into sloppy habits when you play for eight weeks in a row.
“I’ve played a lot of golf this year and your mind is trying its hardest but if you lose certain technical aspects in your swing, it can just be one yard left or right, but that’s the difference between making birdies and bogeys.
“I holed out for eagle on 14 from 84 yards and on the fifth I hit it to one foot, so my approach and wedge game today was really tight and it was great that the work I’ve put in is showing.
“I would love to get into the top 70 or the top 45, of course, but I’m not even sure what result I would need. I’m just excited to be back in Ras Al Khaimah, to be playing golf for the next three weeks, that’s pretty much all I can ask for."
David Law is the leading Scot in a share of 14th place on the 69 mark.
Scores after Round One
par 72
64 J Van Der Vaart (Netherlands)
66 C Koepka (USA) , O Stark (Swe)  
67 S Brown (Eng) , S Tiley (Eng) , V Perez (Fra)  
68 C Sordet (Fra) , V Riu (Fra) , J Guerrier (Fra) , G Porteous (Eng) , M Orrin (Eng) , S Heisele (Ger) , S Einhaus (Ger) 
69 G Boyd (Eng) , J Sarasti (Spn) , M Baldwin (Eng) , S Fernandez (Spn) , P Oriol (Esp) , K Samooja (Finland) , T Tree (Eng) , M Schwab (Austria) , D Law (Sco) , B Virto (Spn) , A Tadini (Ita) , J Winther (Denmark) , G Moynihan (Ire) , M Lampert (Ger) 
70 D Huizing (Ned) , A Meronk (Pol) , J Girrbach (Sui) , C Blomstrand (Swe) , N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) , C Sharvin (Nir) , O Wilson (Eng) , M Perry (NZ)  
71 R Evans (Eng) , J McDonald (Sco) , R Davies (Wales) , J Hansen (Denmark) , C Mivis (Belgium) , P Widegren (Swe) , J Dantorp (Swe) , N Johansson (Swe) , A Saddier (Fra) , N Cullen (Australia) , C Ford (Eng) , E Goya (Arg) , S Henry (Sco) , A Pavan (Ita) , M Wiegele (Austria), R Kellett (Sco), T Linard (Fra) 
72 J Sjöholm (Swe) , A Wennstam (Swe) , J Senior (Eng) , N Geyger (Chile) , M Hoey (NIre) , J Doherty (Sco) , P Howard (Eng) , J Arnoy (Norway) , B Hellgren (Swe) , R Saxton (Netherlands) , D Foos (Ger) , F Laporta (Ita) , M Lafeber (Netherlands)  
73 M Schneider (Ger) , M Madsen (Denmark) , D Dixon (Eng) , M Kinhult (Swe) , J Heath (Eng) , G Forrest (Sco) , M Ford (Eng) , M Ovesen (Denmark) , L Gagli (Ita) , R McGee (Ire) , E Van Rooyen (SAf) , M Burrow (am) (Eng) 
74 M Trappel (Aut) , J Allan (Eng) , O Farr (Wales) , M Tullo (Chile) , M Harradine (am) (Switz) 
75 G King (Eng) , T Pulkkanen (Fin) , B Neil (Sco) , C Braeunig (Ger) , T Murray (Eng) , R Enoch (Wales) , R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) , B Hafthorsson (Iceland) , D Laing (Eng) 
76 J Lando Casanova (Fra) , S Forsström (Swe) , J Kunzenbacher (Ger) , M Haastrup (Denmark) , R Mansell (Eng) , B Eccles (Australia) , M Nixon (Eng)  
77 R Santos (Portugal).
78 O Lengden (Swe) , M Lundberg (Swe) , R McEvoy (Eng) D Van Driel (Netherlands).
79 M Fenasse (Fra)  
83 M Burrell (am) (Australia)
                                                   

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

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