Simon Griffiths of England plays a shot during the first round.
RABAT, Morocco: England’s Simon Griffiths and New Zealand’s Steven Alker carded matching four-under-par 69s to share the lead on the opening day of the Hassan II Golf Trophy yesterday.
Playing under fine conditions at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course, the duo’s precision paid off giving them a one-shot lead over seven golfers tied for third place.
Alker had a slow start, balancing two birdies with two bogeys over the first 11 holes. A birdie on the 12th moved him to 1-under and he closed his round with three consecutive birdies to finish at four-under.
“It was an exciting opening round. We were making birdies, but I was chipping in and putting was doing all sorts of funny stuff,” Alker said after finishing joint leader.
Steven Alker of New Zealand in action during the first round.
“The greens are fantastic. They remind me of some Australian courses, which I like visually. You have to drive well, shape your shots and hit it clean. I’m enjoying myself.”
Griffiths began his round on the eighth hole, kicking off with back-to-back birdies. He added birdies on the 13th and 17th holes before dropping a shot on the par-4 third. He quickly bounced back with a birdie on the fourth.
“It’s a tough course. I hit some good shots and a few iffy ones, but yeah I’ll take 69 all day long out here,” he said.
Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita, USA’s Tim O’Neal and Brett Quigley, Frenchman Thomas Levet, South Korea’s Y.E. Yang, Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Brazil’s Adilson da Silva trail the leaders at 3-under-par 70.
American quartet Paul Goydos, Jason Caron, Ken Tanigawa, and Stewart Cink, along with Australia’s Scott Hend, carded 71s.
Defending champion Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina opened with a one-under-par 72, joining eight others tied for 15th.
The 49th Hassan II Golf Trophy marks its third consecutive year on the PGA Tour Champions, featuring 66 golfers from 12 nations competing for the $2.5m purse.
Navarrosa dazzles at Lalla Meryem Golf Cup
On the Blue Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Brianna Navarrosa of the USA fired a six-under-par 67 to grab the lead in the first round of the Ladies European Tour season-opening Lalla Meryem Golf Cup.
Navarrosa made a scorching start with five consecutive birdies from the first to the fifth and added an eagle on the 15th to top the leaderboard at six-under-par.
Brianna Navarrosa of the USA leads in the first round of the Lalla Meryem Golf Cup.
Sweden’s Kajsa Arwefjall and Spain’s Ana Pelaez Trivino are joint second after posting five-under-par rounds. Gabriella Cowley (ENG), Sarah Schober (AUT) and Cecilie Finne-Ipsen (DEN) follow closely with 69s.
Defending champion Bronte Law had a tough opening round, finishing with a one-over-par 74.
The 28th Lalla Meryem Cup features a competitive lineup, with 108 golfers from 34 nations vying for top honours.
