Shepherd surges two clear at Mena Golf Tour Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open

Jake Shepherd did his chances of winning the tournament the world of good when he fired a three-under 69 to take sole possession of the lead in the MENA Golf Tour’s Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at All Badia Golf Club on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Englishman, who ran off three birdies in a row on the back nine, stood on 10-under 134 after 36 holes in the $50,000 event that concludes on Wednesday, with overnight joint leader Zane Scotland, Austria’s Roland Steiner and Scotland’s David Law sharing second on 136.
The English duo of William Harrold and Ian Keenan (England) were a further shot adrift on seven-under 137, raising the prospects of a close finish on final day.

Morocco’s Ahmed Marjan followed his opening level-par 72 with a 71 to reach atop the amateur division at one under 143 along with England’s James Allan, who carded a 70 in second round. Marjan, who is currently leading the Order of Merit standings, mixed two birdies with a bogey in his round he described as “pretty satisfactory.”
It was Shepherd who surged clear of the chasing pack with another superb effort. One of two overnight co-leaders, Shepherd picked up seven birdies, but double-bogeyed the second and the 15th after hitting his approach shots into the water.
“It was kind of an up-and-down round. The intention was to keep double bogeys off the card, but that didn’t happen. However, I responded well with quick birdies,” said Shepherd, who is seeking to add to his playoff win at the 2011 MENA Tour Championship.
“Take those double bogeys away, I think I played really well. You never know what tomorrow holds, but I feel like I’m in good position,” said Shepherd, who led by five shots going into the final round at the 2011 Ras Al Khaimah Classic, but threw away the advantage at the time.
“Hopefully, the script will be different this time around.”
Elsewhere, defending champion and a three-time winner on the European Tour, Stephen Dodd of Wales, shot a two-under 70 to join Ross McGowan, the winner of the 2009 Madrid Masters, for a share of the 20th place on 142.

The cut fell at three-over 147 with 47 professionals and 10 amateurs making it to the final round. It was the lowest cut since the inception of the MENA Tour in 2011, beating the previous low of 4-over recorded at the same tournament and venue last year.
Meanwhile, UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh, who shot a 74 in Round One, was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of a stiff neck.

A superb initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour is supported by Omega and Mercedes-Benz. It is affiliated to the Arab Golf Federation and the R&A – golf’s governing body — and boasts a combined prize fund of $US 525,000, including $US 75,000 for the Tour Championship.

Leading scores after Round One (Par 72):

Professionals:
134 – Jake Shepherd (England) 65 69
136 – Zane Scotland (England) 65 71, Roland Steiner (Austria) 68 68, David Law (Scotland) 66 70
137 – William Harrold (England) 68 69, Ian Keenan (England) 66 71
138 – Nicholas Mullhaupt (Switzerland) 69 69, Tyler Hogarty (South Africa) 70 68
139 – Matthew Turner (England) 67 72, Hamza Amin (Pakistan) 67 72
140 – Chris Hanson (England) 70 70, Sergio Gutierrez Sánchez (Spain) 72 68, Daniel Wardrop (England) 70 70, Tom Buchanan (Scotland) 72 68, Sebastian Heisele (Germany) 71 69
141 – Duncan Stewart (Scotland) 73 68, James Westwood (England) 72 69, Lee Corfield (England) 70 71, Scott Ferguson (Zimbabwe) 70 71

Amateurs:
143 – Ahmed Marjan (Morocco) 72 71, James Allan (England) 73 70
144 – Ross Hopwood (England) 72 72, Peter Stojanovski (Switzerland) 71 73, Amin El Malki (Morocco) 71 73, Max Williams (England) 72 72