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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