A stunning seven-under-par 65 Tuesday propelled Langley to -10 through 36 holes and to the summit of the $75,000 Ghala Open leaderboard and will see the 25-year-old Englishman take a one-stroke lead into Wednesday’s final round over a gaggle of five players.

After winning the season-opening Journey to Jordan #1 Championship and backing his dream debut up with a T-8 finish at the inaugural NEWGIZA Open in Cairo last week, Langley’s impact on the regional development tour has been instant and mightily impressive. Victory in Muscat would add to the fairytale and hand the rookie Marlow professional a scarcely believable start in the European Tour’s $1.75 million Oman Open next week.

It would also give Langley a sizeable lead in the season-long Journey to Jordan race which promises precious 2021 European and Asia Tour starts to the eventual Order-of-Merit title winner.

“I feel confident. I am swinging it really well,” said Langley who leads by one from 2017 Open Championship silver medallist Alfie Plant (68), fellow Englishmen Pavan Sagoo (67), Jake Ayres (68) and Bailey Gill (67) and Scotland’s Craig Ross (67).

“I think I have gained strokes in driving every day this season on the MENA Tour and yesterday was probably the only round when I did not gain strokes in putting. I played so well in the final round in Egypt, but I guess I was trying too hard over there and shot just two-under when I had a very low one in me that day. A tied eighth finish is pretty good, but I learned a lot from that round, and from Jordan. So, hopefully, we can get the job done tomorrow.”

Let’s just say England’s @DavidLangley59 is on a roll. He won in Jordan and finished inside the top-10 in Cairo. On Tuesday, he shot a seven-under par 65 to currently lead the Ghala Open by one shot.

We asked him what was he doing particularly well to enjoy this purple patch… pic.twitter.com/eOubmltJLr

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) February 18, 2020

Starting from the 10th tee, Langley’s round was highlighted by a spectacular slam-dunk eagle when he holed a wedge from 84 yards on the par-4 11th. His only bogey came soon after on the 14th hole, but with 16 greens in regulation, he was never in any major trouble after that and also picked up shots on all four of Ghala Golf Club’s par-5s.

“It was a pretty good day. When you start with an eagle like that, it’s always good,” said Langley who improved to No. 1187 in the world rankings after his win in Jordan.

“I flew it straight into the hole and I feel sorry because I damaged the cup a bit. Made a silly error on the 14th, and missed a short birdie putt on the 17th, but apart from that, it was solid golf.”

NEWGIZA Open winner Sebastien Gros lurks dangerously after a second straight 68, leaving the Frenchman alone in eighth place at -8, while countryman and overnight leader Antoine Schwartz (71), Scot Sam Locke (70), the 2018 Open Championship low amateur, and England’s in-form David Hague (68) are three behind the leader at -7.

India’s Dubai-based Arjun Gupta is the leading amateur courtesy a splendid round five-under-par 67 that took him up to tied 16th place, two ahead of Russian 16-year-old Ivan Striganov (74).

There was also a proud moment for Saudi golf as all three players in the field – professional Othman Almulla and amateurs Saud Al Sharif and Ali Alsakha – made the cut, which fell at two-over-par.

Such an amazing moment for Saudi golf!! All three players in the field at @theMENATour’s Ghala Open – professional @o_almulla_golf and amateurs Saud Al Sharif and Ali Alsakha- have made the cut!!

Great progress and well done to @SaudiGolf! pic.twitter.com/YBC8BG071T

— Joy Chakravarty (@TheJoyofGolf) February 18, 2020

The post White-hot Langley eyes second MENA Tour title in three weeks appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 26-year-old Scot is trending nicely leading into the $75,000 Troon Series – Dubai Open presented by Turkish Airlines starting Tuesday with top-10s in the circuit’s three proceeding events.

Ross tied 10th in the season-opening Journey to Jordan-1 in Aqaba, followed it up with a share of 4th at the Al Zorah Open in Ajman and went one better at Ghala Golf Club in Oman last week.

“I have been hitting the ball well and putting well. I am just going to go into this week hoping for more of the same and [see if I can] win this event,” said Ross, who recorded his first win as a professional at last year’s Clipper Logistics Championship on the EuroPro Tour.

RELATED: Fresh from the Oman Open, Matthew Baldwin eyes a quick return to the European Tour via the MENA Tour

“I have given myself good chances the last couple of weeks but haven’t been able to get over the line. I will do the same things again and hopefully have a chance again on the final day. We will then see what happens after that.”

Ross actually led by three shots going into the back nine at Al Zorah before a double bogey on the 12th stalled his progress before further dropped shots on the 14th and 15th snuffed out his challenge.

At Ghala, the big-hitting Scot closed with 65 and 66 but had left himself with too much to do after an opening 72.

“Last week, Nick [Marsh] was just fantastic. But I had a great opportunity at Al Zorah. When I look back at it, it was just one bad swing that cost me a double. I know that I can pull off that shot and will probably do the same if I were in a similar situation again. I was still leading, but my short game let me down over the next couple of holes.”

Ross expects the scoring to be low at Dubai Hills, providing the wind doesn’t kick up.

Ross poses on the tee of the par-5 5th hole at Dubai Hills Golf Club.

“It was quite windy when we played the pro-am, and I have been told we can expect similar wind every day,” he said.

“Coming from Scotland, I don’t mind the wind. I don’t hit the ball that low, but I love playing in the wind. The fairways are wide, so you can smash your driver, which suits me. The bunkers are placed strategically, but as I said, the greens are challenging. You need to hit your approach shots with some thought.”

This week’s champion will cash $13,500, three Official World Ranking Points and an invite to the Challenge Tour’s Slovakia Challenge (July 4-7).

PROFESSIONAL ORDER OF MERIT
(After  Ghala Golf Club Open in Muscat, Oman)

POS     NAME                                      EARNINGS (US$)

1.         Matthew Baldwin (ENG)          18,000.00
2.         Daniel Gaunt (AUS)                 17,725.00
3.         Nick Marsh (ENG)                    14,006.00
4.         Erik Jonasson (SWE)               12,600.00
5.         Robin Roussel (FRA)               10,510.00

AMATEUR ORDER OF MERIT

POS     NAME                                      POINTS
1.         Curtis Knipes (ENG)                4,442.00
2.         Josh Hill (ENG)                        2,775.00
3.         Jack Floydd (ENG)                  2,712.00
4.         Rayhan Thomas (IND)            1,800.00
5.         Arjun Gupta (IND)                   1,425.00

The post Big-hitting Scotsman Craig Ross trending nicely as Dubai Hills makes MENA Tour bow appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“My head was not in a right place and I felt I was just throwing away money when I had to take care of my four lovely kids and my mortgage,” the Surrey-based Australian said of his decision to quit the touring life in mid-2017 despite having previously captured two European Challenge Tour titles.

Gaunt duly found work on the maintenance team at his home Burhill Golf Club in Walton-on-Thames and the change of scenery slowly helped rekindle his love of the game.

He still needed prompting to give pro golf another go and has a shot Wednesday at the MENA Tour’s $75,000 Troon Series-Al Zorah Open to give his closest supporters the ultimate payback.

A six-under-par 66 in Tuesday’s second round will see the Aussie go into today’s final round tied for the lead at -10, 134 with Scot Craig Ross. They are two shots clear of rookie English professional Todd Clements and former MENA Tour winner MG Keyser.

“There are friends, including [MENA Tour life member] Zane Scotland and a few others – they know who they are and I am indebted for their support – who believed in me and helped me financially to play golf again this year.

“So here we are…I am happy to be in the position I am in. I will go out and do exactly what I did the first two days. Come the last nine holes and we will see if I am in contention. I have full faith in myself. I have won before and I can do it again. I won’t be here if I did not believe I can win.”

Ross, who added a 66 to his opening-round 68 as well, went bogey-free on Tuesday and will look to add to the Clippers Logistics Championship he won on the EuroPro Tour last year.

India’s Dubai-based Rayhan Thomas birdied his final two holes and was the leading amateur following a two-under-par 70 round that took him to five-under par 139. The 19-year-old was three ahead of England’s Curtis Knipes (70), the amateur champion at Journey To Jordan-1, the inaugural event of the 2019 season.

Another Dubai-based teenager, the 14-year-old Josh Hill (72), was the next best on the amateur leaderboard at one-under par 143.

Thomas was solid for the first 11 holes with two birdies before a wobble cost him shots on the 12th and 14th holes. But a miraculous par on the 16th lifted his spirits and he birdied the last two return to the clubhouse a satisfied man.

“My ball was completely plugged on the 16th hole in the greenside bunker and I left myself a 12-footer for par after hacking it out somehow. Luckily, I made that putt and then stiffed it to two feet on the par-3 17th and got a regulation birdie on the par-5 18th,” said Thomas, who created history on the MENA Tour when he became the first amateur to win a title (2016 Dubai Creek Open).

“It was a good round, but like any golfer, I thought I could have shot a couple better. The conditions were perfect today and I should have taken advantage of it.”

Tuesday’s cut fell at one-over 145 with 50 professionals and 10 amateurs making it to the final round.

LEADING SCORES (After Round 2, par-72)
134 – Daniel Gaunt (AUS) 68-66, Craig Ross (SCO) 68-66
136 – Todd Clements (ENG) 71-65, MG Keyser (RSA) 70-66
137 – Seve Benson (ENG) 69-68, Jack McDonald (SCO) 70-67
138 – Benjamin David (ENG) 69-69
139 – Rayhan Thomas (IND-Am) 69-70, Lionel Weber (FRA) 68-71, Max Smith (ENG) 68-71, Tom Shadbolt (ENG) 70-69
140 – Antoine Schwartz (FRA) 70-70, Dominic Foos (GER) 69-71, Jack Doherty (SCO) 72-68, Joshua White (ENG) 72-68, Andrew Burmester (RSA) 70-70
141 – Daniel Hendry (SCO) 71-70, Rigel Fernandes (IND) 70-71, Oliver Jacobsson (SWE) 69-72, Robert Dinwiddie (ENG) 71-70
142 – Robin Roussel (FRA) 73-69, Harry Konig (ENG) 72-70, Robbie Busher (ENG) 72-70, Ahmad Baig (PAK) 69-73, Conor O’Neil (SCO) 72-70, Erik Jonasson (SWE) 70-72, Constantin Schwierz (GER) 71-71
143 – Gustaf Kocken (SWE) 72-71, James Allan (ENG) 71-72, Taylor Carter (ENG) 70-73, Maarten Bosch (NED) 74-69, Josh Hill (ENG-Am) 71-72

The post Daniel throws down the Gaunt-let for shot at pro golf redemption in Ajman appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Two pesky three putts haven’t stopped Dubai-domiciled amateur Rayhan Thomas from making a decent start to his bid for a third professional title at the Troon Series-Al Zorah Open.

The Oklahoma State University-bound 19-year-old will start the second round of the $75,000 MENA Tour event on Tuesday just one shot off the pace after carding an opening three-under 69 Monday.

Frenchman Lionel Weber, Australian Daniel Gaunt, Scot Craig Ross, England’s Max Smith and Guatemala’s Jose Rolz co-lead after 68s on a blustery day in Ajman.

Thomas three-putted the 7th for a bogey and then three-putted again for par on the par-5 18th but was happy with his opening effort that left him in a six-way share of 6th alongside promising Pakistani star Ahmed Baig, Englishmen Benjamin David and Seve Benson, Swede Oliver Jacobsson and Dubai-based German Dominic Foos.

“It was a good round overall,” said the Dubai Creek member who created history on the MENA Tour when he became the first amateur winner at the 2016 Dubai Creek Open. He has since gone on to claim the King Hamad Trophy in Bahrain.

“I drove the ball really well, but did not have the best day on the greens.”

Thomas could have been joined on 69 by another Dubai-based teenager, 14-year-old Josh Hill, but the English youngster was docked two shots as a penalty for an inadvertent rules infraction.

Dubai-based Indian Arjun Gupta, also 14, was the second best among the amateurs with a round of two-under-par 70.

Weber, who won the 2017 Mountain Creek Open in Thailand, only arrived in Ajman late on Sunday so was essentially playing Al Zorah blind. 

Weber already has a MENA Tour title to his name.

“I arrived in Ajman late and did not even have time to play a practice round. I just thought that I should go out and enjoy myself and before I knew it, I had made four birdies in my first four holes,” said the 28-year-old, who is attached to Black Mountain course in Hua Hin, Thailand.

“I was very annoyed that I did not have a decent finish. I doubled the 16th hole and then made another bogey on the 17th. But apart from those two mistakes, I am really happy with my first day.”

Gaunt, who missed birdie putts from four feet on two par-5 holes, said: “The conditions were definitely much tougher than when I played a practice round. On one of the holes, I hit a driver and a 9-iron yesterday, and today it was a driver and a 5-iron.”

LEADING SCORES (After round 1, par-72)
68 – Lionel Weber (FRA), Craig Ross (SCO), Max Smith (ENG), Jose Rolz (GUA), Daniel Gaunt (AUS).
69 – Benjamin David (ENG), Ahmad Baig (PAK), Dominic Foos (GER), Rayhan Thomas (IND-Am), Oliver Jacobsson (SWE), Seve Benson (ENG).
70 – Jack McDonald (SCO), Joshua Grenville-Wood (ENG), MG Keyser (RSA), Arjun Gupta (IND-Am), Tom Shadbolt (ENG), Andrew Burmester (RSA), Cameron Phillips (ENG), Antoine Schwartz (FRA), Taylor Carter (ENG), Erik Jonasson (SWE), Rigel Fernandes (IND).
71 – Robert Dinwiddie (ENG), Constantin Schwierz (GER), Elliott Oxlade (ENG), Josh Hill (ENG-Am), Steve Webster (ENG), Todd Clements (ENG), Daniel Hendry (SCO), James Allan (ENG), Jack Floydd (ENG-Am).
72 – Pavan Sagoo (ENG), Jack Doherty (SCO), Conor O’Neil (SCO), Daniel Scourfield (ENG), Joshua White (ENG), Jake Ayres (ENG), Peter Stojanovski (MAC), Gustaf Kocken (SWE), Gabriel Axell (SWE), Ben Davies (ENG-Am), Daniel Kay (SCO), Curtis Knipes (ENG-Am), Louis Campbell (ENG), Daniel Suchan (CZE), Harry Konig (ENG), Robbie Busher (ENG), Arkesh Bhatia (IND-Am).

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