Mena Tour News Information and Results

Paul Doherty leads after 1st round of Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at Al Badia Golf Club

Paul Doherty posted a blistering eight-under 64 to open up an early lead in the MENA Golf Tour’s Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at Al Badia Golf Club on Monday. The talented Scot overcame an early bogey on the second with one eagle and seven birdies, playing the back at five under, to establish a two-shot lead over England’s Luke Joy, who had finished runner-up to Czech Republic’s Cyril Suk in this event last year.

A seven-man group, which consisted of England’s Gary King’s, the winner of last week’s Ascorp Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open, were a further two shots adrift on 68, one ahead of Spain’s Carlos Balmaseda as fading light forced an early closure of play with several groups, each comprising three players, still on the course.

On a day when early morning fog delayed the start of play by one and a half hours, Doherty defied stamina-sapping hot and humid conditions to hit the front.

“I am really very pleased with my efforts and couldn’t have asked for a better start,” said Doherty, who had broken through for his maiden win on the MENA Golf Tour at Royal D’Anfa Open in Morocco early this year.

“I bogeyed the second, but rolled in a nice putt for a birdie on the fourth and that kind of lifted my game. Things thereafter were just fine. Certainly, the highlight of the day was that eagle on the par-5 eighth, when I hit my five wood from 235 yards to within 20 feet and holed the ensuing putt.

“This is one of my favourites courses. I did pretty well here last year (finishing in solo third) and the plan is to keep the early momentum rolling all the way through,” said Doherty, said the 30-year-old from Glasgow, who turned professional in 2006.

“There are plenty of scoring opportunities there as the fairways are just great and so are the greens,” he said.

Like Doherty, England’s Joy also made an early bogey (on the third), but came back strongly, playing the last 15 holes at seven under to put himself firmly in frame for a title shot.

England’s King mixed two bogeys with two birdies on the front nine, but came alive on the back nine with four birdies to move into a tie for third place with his compatriots Dale Marmion and Tom Boys, Gabriel Canizares (Spain), Ben Williams (New Zealand), Thriston Arthur Lawrence (South Africa) and Per Barth of Sweden.

Rising Moroccan amateur star Jamal Allali shot one-under 71 to lead the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, ahead of Ayoub Lguirati as regular contenders Faycal Serghini, Ahmed Marjan, Younes El Hassani and Amine Joudar were yet to finish their first round.

Elsewhere, England’s Miles Tunnicliff, a two-time winner on the European Tour, carded a 71 while Asian Tour veteran Yasin Ali returned a two-over 74.

Show More

Related Articles

Back to top button