Lee Corfield takes route 66 to lead at Els Club, 

Dubai as Scottish boys' champion falters

By VIREN VARMA

DUBAI — Lee Corfield fired a bogey-free, six-under 66 to break free from the chasing pack going into the final round of the MENA Golf Tour’s Golf Citizen Classic at the Els Club, Dubai today.

Starting the day four shots off the pace, Corfield strung together the tournament’s lowest score so far to reach seven-under, two shots ahead of his fellow Englishman Luke Joy and Sweden’s Ber Barth

Overnight joint leader Rayhan Thomas, the Dubai-based teenager from India and winner of the Scottish boys' stroke-play this year,  slipped to tied fourth on four-under after carding a 73, a triple bogey on the 10th spoiling his otherwise an impressive card.

In-form Thomas started strongly, making three birdies in his first four holes, but hit the roadblock on the 10th when a wayward drive resulted in three dropped shots. 

“I was cruising along nicely, having got off to another great start, but one bad hole changed the whole look of the card. Take that away, I think I played really well. I am just shots off the pace and very much in with chance,” said the talented youngster

Playing in his first season on the MENA Golf Tour, Australia’s Ryan Laird provided the highlight of the day when he aced the par-3 17th for the first hole-in-one of his career.

The 22-year-old from Melbourne smashed his six-iron from 221yds to achieve the feat as he returned a second-round 72 to move to tied 33rd from overnight 44th spot.

The cut was made at three-over 147 with 47 professionals and 13 amateurs making it to the final round.
Paul Doherty is the leading Scot in a share of eighth place on 141 with rounds of 70 and 71.
Aberdeen's Daniel Hendry, a teenage Dubai-based amateur, and professional Clarke Lutton, also born in the Granite City, are on 143 and 146 respectively. Hendry slipped back to joint 22nd place with a 75, seven strokes more than his first round while Lutton made the cut with nothing to spare after rounds of 69 and 77.
Dunbar's Daniel Kay is joint 32nd on 145 with rounds of 73 and 72.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
137 Lee Corfield (Eng) 71 66
139 L Joy (Eng) 68 71, P Barth (Swe) 68 71
140 Max Williams (Eng) 71 69, Rayhan Thomas (India) (am) 67 73, Carlos Balmaseda (Spa) 68 72, Oscar Hertzberg (Swe) 71 69.

SCOTS' SCORES
141 Paul Doherty 70 71 (T8)
143 Daniel Hendry (am) 68 75 (T22)
145 Daniel Kay 73 72
146 Clarke Lutton 69 77 (T42)

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