But the second-year pro, who carded a four-under 68 at Ayla Golf Club on Tuesday for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the $75,000 event, knows his time will come as long as he’s patient. The 24-year-old Englishman, who joined the paid ranks in late 2018 after a decorated amateur career, is certainly trending towards victory. He played three Challenge Tour events in South Africa on invites before returning to the MENA Tour and made the cut in all three, highlighted by a T-7 in Cape Town that has him 13th overall on Europe’s second-tier tour.

“It would be nice to get playing status on Challenge Tour. Obviously, I want to win [as well] and getting it on the MENA Tour would be great, but these are things you cannot rush,” said Waite who will take a one-shot buffer into Tuesday’s second round over playing partner Benjamin David and Curtis Knipes (both England) and Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden.

“I look at Hague, Langley and Bailey [Gill] and they have all gone and won events in their first few weeks as a pro and here I am, have been a pro for more than a year and still haven’t got my first win.

“I can get down upon myself, or I can keep doing the right things and stay patient knowing that my week will come.”

Waite, a former European Amateur Championship runner-up and semi-finalist at The Amateur Championship, frustratingly three-putted his final hole for the only bogey in a round punctuated by five birdies.

The Bristol lad has taken a different tact this week after finished tied 37th in the Journey to Jordan #2 last year before securing his MENA Tour card by finishing 10th in Qualifying School B in January. It helped being spurred on by playing partners David and Tom Sloman who shot a two-under-par 70 to be tied fifth alongside Sweden’s Ake Nilsson. Pavan Sagoo, Jamie Rutherford, Luke Joy and Filip Lundell, winner of Q-School B at the same venue, were tied seventh at one-under-par 71.

“I have not played too well around here, so I had a slightly different mindset this week to go and shoot the best that I possibly can and I am lucky I played with good guys – David and Sloman – and they played well as well,” said Waite.

“I had a decent start today, went a bit quiet in the middle and kept playing well on the back nine. I hit two good shots into the 18th but ended up with a bogey. It’s just one of those things, and I have got to take the positives from this. I was five-under-par through 17 and shot a 68 which was a good round.”

The Felton Golf Club member has started working with Liam James in Belfry as his coach and his friend Will Donald as a mental coach.

“I have come out this year with a better mental frame and probably better technically. I did not have any status and just played on invites in 2019. But it was a slow year and I did not get going. I have worked on all departments of the game and very much looking forward to what 2020 has in store.”

In the race between David Langley and David Hague to secure the Trophee Hassan II start on the European Tour as the leader of the Journey to Jordan Order of Merit at the halfway stage of the 2020 MENA Tour season, Hague was slightly ahead of his rival, even though both players had a start to forget. Hague opened with a 75 and Langley shot 77.

India’s Arjun Gupta was the best-placed amateur in the field, tied 20th after a round of two-over 74.

The post Waite leads in Aqaba but not rushing in search of maiden pro victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Forget Goliath – this is a battle between David and David.

More accurately, it’s a battle within the battle at this week’s $75,000 Journey to Jordan #2 Championship back at Ayla Golf Club in Jordan, the MENA Tour by Arena’s destination partner.

The leader of the overall Order of Merit after the 54-holer in Aqaba, which marks the official halfway stage of the regional circuit’s regular season, earns a precious invite to the Trophee Hassan II from June 4-7. Furthermore, either of the Davids, Langley and Hague, will win free accommodation at the European Tour event’s official hotel in Morocco, nothing to be sneezed at when you are trying to make your way in the expensive world of professional golf.

Langley has the advantage heading into Monday’s opening round – just. The 25-year-old Marlow man leads the Journey to Jordan OOM (not to be confused with the name of this week’s tournament name) but only by $784 from Hague. Langely also has special memories of Ayla G.C. having captured the season-opening Journey to Jordan #1 Championship at the Greg Norman-designed layout.

“Absolutely. The spot in Morocco is on my mind and if someone else in my situation says they are not thinking about it, they’d probably be lying,” said Langley.

“But it is not something that is going to control my shots during the tournament. It is something you think outside of it. I will be focused on each shot that I hit when I play the tournament.

“I have very happy memories of this golf course, and obviously, having played it quite a few times, I am very familiar with it. I drove the ball very well and made almost every putt from inside 10 feet when I won the Journey to Jordan #1, and I will have to do pretty much the same again this week.”

The equation for Hague, meanwhile, is simple. With $400 assured for the last-placed player this week, the Yorkshireman will have to finish inside a two-way tie for the 12th place or better to have any chance of overtaking Langley.

David Hague.

Hague does have the advantage of momentum after winning last week’s Bahrain Open while Langley struggled with a final round 79. It was almost a case of reverse fortunes; when Langley won the season opener, Hague started his professional career with rounds of 81-77 to uncomfortably miss the cut.

“I won’t say Morocco is my top priority right now. I am pretty good at taking every competition as it comes. It’s just a consequence of playing well and that’s what I’d be focused on this week,” Hague said.

“I did not have a great start to my professional career here, but I am looking forward to competing on this course. I think I was too aggressive here the last time and threw away a few shots through careless mistakes. That’s something I want to avoid.”

Hague, who turned pro after MENA Tour by Arena Qualifying School at the same venue, has not touched his clubs after playing the Pro-Am in Bahrain a day after his victory.

“I got into Aqaba only last night after facing a few travel issues and today was the first day I actually practiced. It’s been a crazy couple of days with so many messages from friends and people I know. I am so looking forward to going back home next week, but I have a job to do before that.”

Fittingly, Langley and Hague have been paired together for the first two rounds and start their campaigns on Monday at 9.20am local time (11.20am UAE time).

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