Monday, April 24, 2017


England’s Williams in four-way tie for lead
 at MENA Tour's Ras Al Khaimah Classic

 
MENA TOUR REPORT
FROM VIREN VARMA
RAS AL KHAIMAH— Birdies and eagles flew in flurries as the English trio of Max Williams, Daniel Owen, Paul Dwyer and Spain’s Francisco Perez shot matching 6-under 66s to take a share of the lead after the opening round of the MENA Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links Golf Club today.

Between them, the foursome notched up 23 birdies and four eagles, two each by Williams and Owen, against just seven bogeys to sit atop a tight leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Sweden’s Jesper Alm, who mixed six birdies with a bogey. 
Lee Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour, overcame an early bogey on the first to shoot a four-under 68 that left him in a seven-way tie for sixth as his fellow Englishman Craig Hinton, the winner of the 2016 MENA Tour’s Order of Merit title, shared 13th a further shot adrift in a four-man group which included Spain’s Leo Lilja, who won the season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open in March.

“I played really well and very pleased with my day’s work. The course is just fantastic and in great condition,” said Williams, who drilled his nine-iron to within six feet for an eagle on the 18th in one of the major highlights of his round.

“It's always nice to get an eagle, let alone two. Just kind of everything fell together, ball striking, putting and ball control,” said the Englishman, who also eagled the par-five fifth.

Bahrain-based Owen lit up his opening round with five birdies and two eagles (on the fifth and the 13th) against three bogeys to put himself in contention for his maiden win on the MENA Tour.

Dwyer flew off the gate in style, making in three birdies in a row and kept the momentum rolling all through, dropping just one bogey while Spain’s Perez picked up eight shots, including five on the front nine, against two bogeys on a day when 34 players broke par.

Among the notables, Welsh ace Stephen Dodd, who plies his trade on the European Senior Tour, carded a 70 while England’s Andrew Marshall returned a 71.

Switzerland’s Dubai-based Michael Harradine rolled in three birdies on the back nine after making the turn at two over to hit the front in the amateur division on a 71, a good two shots ahead of a four-man group that included Qatar’s Saleh Al Kaabi.


FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
par 72. Players from England unless otherwise stated
66 D Owen, M Williams, P Dwyer, F Perez (Spn).
67 J Alm (Swe).
68 T Hogarty (SAf), L Corfield, S Archibald, B David, P Stojanovski (Australia), H Featherstone, J Garnish.
69 C Hinton, E Oxlade, E Holland, L Lilja (Spn),T Hunt (Wal), H Sturehed (Swe), M Carroll (USA).
70 L Reynolds (Can),  M Smith, S Dodd (Wal), M G Keyser (SAf), W Stroebel (SAf).
71 C Lutton (Sco), M Harradine (Swi) (am), A Sugar, J Heraty, J Ashman, R Busher, J Elson, A Marshall, J Doherty (Sco), T Gornik (Slovenia).


OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
76 J Porteous, D Kay (T61)


Field of 91.
 
 

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