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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The 27-year-old Frenchman produced rounds of 66-67-66 in Korat to finish the $30,000 Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen at -17, a staggering seven shots clear of English runner-up Luke Joy (England).

Michael Harradine closed with a level-par 72 to leave the Dubai-based Swiss national team amateur in a creditable three-way share of third at -6 with Englishman Jamie Elson and Scot James Byrne.

Lightning forced the suspension of the final round for 60 minutes but it barely slowed Weber who produced four of his seven birdies Wednesday in his last six holes.

“It was great to be able to play my A game,” said Weber who became the second Frenchman after Edouard Espana to win a MENA Tour event and was presented with the trophy by tour patron, His Excellency Pasan Teparak.

“I had a good final round and I am really pleased to have my first win as a professional here in Thailand. It will give me a lot more confidence for the future.”

Harradine was two under through 11 before a double bogey on the par-4, 15th undermined the 33-year-old’s efforts.

His tally of six-under, however, saw Harradine easily clinch the amateur title by six shots from Thai Worathon Zeng, who finished on level-par 216, as Dubai-based India amateur No.1 Rayhan Thomas settled for third on +3 after returning a final round 76.

“I struggled on the first seven holes but things started to click thereafter and I played a bit more solid. Unfortunately, I lost a ball in the jungle on the 15^th and then made a birdie on 16. Finished on level par. You are never happy when you finish the round badly, but overall it was a good week,” Harradine said.

Joy, a two-time MENA Tour winner, made a strong finish, reeling off three birdies in his last four holes en route to a final round 69. But the Englishman’s late surge was not enough to threaten Weber,who was only playing his second MENA Tour event after leading through 36 holes in the MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan GC (where he is an ambassador) before fading to a T7 finish.

MahaSamutr Masters champion Jazz Janewattananond finished solo 10th on -4 after a final-round 70, one behind his Thai compatriot Pattaraphol Khanthacha who finished in a four-way tie for fifth.

Defending champion Wolmer Murillo carded a 71 for a share of 11th on -3 while Tyler Hogarty, the winner of last season’s -1 red numbers on one under, tied for 13th.

The MENA Tour will travel to Chonburi next week for the May 16-19 Pattana Golf Championship, the third and final event on the tour’s Thailand swing and its first 72-hole event.

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

A guaranteed spot at the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (for the MENA Tour champion), multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy, Maybank Championship Malaysia, and the KLM Open, await MENA Tour members, in addition to playing privileges on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, and exemptions into the final stage of the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools.

Caption: His Excellency Pasan Teparak, patron of the MENA Tour, presenting the winner’s trophy to Lionel Weber as Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour, and Stacey Walton of GLS Asia, look on.

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The frugal Frenchman has reportedly gone 36-holes at the MENA Tour’s Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen using the same ball, no small feat given the evasive jungle fringing most of the fairways on the Seve Ballesteros-designed layout in Thailand.

The well-worn sphere is clearly behaving – Weber backed up an opening 66 with 67 Tuesday to move to 11-under for the $30,000 championship in Korat.

It earned him a four stroke buffer over Englishman Luke Joy heading into the final round of the 54-holer and a second shot at a maiden MENA Tour title in as many weeks.

Weber co-lead through 18 and 36 holes at last week’s MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan GC (where he is an ambassador) only to fade to a share of 7^th with a final round 75.

He’s hopeful of a happier ending in the second event of the tour’s Thailand swing Wednesday.

“I feel my game is in great shape,” said Weber who rolled in seven birdies, five on his front nine, against two bogeys Tuesday. “Although I hear some players have lost many balls, I am still playing with the same lucky one. The course is pretty tricky and you need to shape the ball a lot and I did that.

“Also, you need to focus on every shot. It always feels good to be in Thailand as it’s a great place to play golf.”

Switzerland’s Dubai-based amateur Michael Harradine stayed in the frame with a second round 71 to share third with Thailand’s Pattaraphol Khanthacha on six under as Blake Snyder (USA) occupied solo fifth a further shot adrift, one ahead of Scotland’s James Byrne.

Joy, who went bogey-free in his Tuesday 68, has given himself a grand shot at a third MENA Tour title

“It’s a course where you have to be very patient. It’s quite fiddly. It goes from fairway to jungle and there is not much in-between. I actually lost my ball on Monday as we were playing in fading light after a thunderstorm forced suspension of play,” Joy said.

“I played quite steady today and going bogey-free always feels good. This is a course you do not want to overpower yourself. In fact, I have used my driver just three times.” said the talented Englishman.

Harradine v Thomas in amateur race
Swiss national team representative Harradine, 33,mixed three birdies with one bogey to extend his lead over his nearest challenger Rayhan Thomas in the amateur division.

Teen Thomas, who is supported by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, made the turn at two-under but dropped four shots in a four-hole stretch from the 11th before making gains on the 16th and 17th that left him in a tie for 14th at one-under — and four behind Harradine.

Last week’s winner, Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand), and defending champion Wolmer Murillo (Venezuela) were tied for 10^th on two-under, one behind a three-man group which included Czech Republic’s Cyril Suk, the winner of the 2014 Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open.

England’s Zane Scotland (+10), Scot Clarke Lutton (+8), Spaniard Leo Lilja (+11) and England cricketer-turned-golfer Craig Kieswetter (+14) were among the notables who missed the cut, made at five-over 149.

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Frenchman Weber reeled off seven birdies in a six-under 66 at Mountain Creek Golf Resort & Residences in Amphur on Monday to ease two shots clear of Harradine, South African Tyler Hogarty and England’s Jamie Elson.

Multiple MENA Tour winner Luke Joy was six under through 16 holes but a bogey on the 17^th and double on 18 saw the Englishman settle for a 69 and solo fifth, one ahead of Czech Cyril Suk, Thai Pattaraphol Khanthacha and Blake Snyder (USA).

Harradine, who created headlines in January when he flirted with winning an Asia Tour card, mixed five birdies and a bogey in his 68.

The 33-year-old Swiss national team representative, who left for Thailand after breaking his own course record at The Track, Meydan Golf in Dubai en-route to winning the AGMC Men’s Open, an EFG order of merit event, with rounds of 69-72, leads the Mountain Creek amateur division by three shots from Indian No.1 Rayhan Thomas.

On day when an afternoon thunderstorm suspended play for 70 minutes, 16 players broke par at the Seve Ballesteros-designed course while two players will have to return in the morning to complete their first rounds after play was eventually called due to poor light.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, who won last week’s MahaSamutr Masters — the opening event on MENA Tour’s three-event Thailand swing birdied three of his last four holes en-route to a 71 that left him sharing 9^th place in an eight-man group which included Thomas.

Elson, meanwhile, overcame an opening double bogey to stay in contention with a 68.

“I had an early start, but it was pretty hot out there. I had an up-and-down front nine. Doubled the first and then birdied the next four holes which was good,” said Elson, who made the turn at -3.

Englishman Jamie Elson recovered from an opening double bogey to earn an early share of second place

“My back nine [holes] were fairly steady. It’s just one of the courses that demands accuracy off the tee. If you are off line, you are going to lose the ball. Overall, I am very happy my with day’s work.”

Hogarty, who won the season-ending MENA Tour Championship last year, was also pleased with his opening round in what is his first golfng foray to Asia.

“I had a fairly good front nine as I kept the ball in play. This course is of medium length, but you have to hit it straight as it is pretty tight,” he said.

“The back nine [holes] are shorter and I played really them well. I missed one shot at 14 when I couldn’t find my ball. I have never been to Asia before and I am really enjoying the Thailand swing — and even losing a bit of weight in this heat,” he half-pie joked.

Czech Republic’s Cyril Suk provided the highlight of the day, reeling off six birdies, including three in a row from the first, on the front nine, but struggled to maintain the momentum coming home, eventually settling for a 70.

Elsewhere, England’s Craig Hinton, the winner of the MENA Tour’s Order of Merit title last year, returned a 75 while Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner on the MENA Tour, carded a 78.

A guaranteed spot in the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (for the MENA Tour champion), multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy, Maybank Championship Malaysia, and the KLM Open, are key incentives for MENA Tour members, in addition to playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour, and exemptions into the Final Stage of the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools.

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The Thai was dialed into his laser-guided distances as he took advantage of a breathless early tee time to card an equal best of the day 68 to join overnight leader Lionel Weber atop the leaderboard at the MahaSamutr Masters in Hau Hin on Wednesday.

Frenchman Weber (67-71) and Janewattananond are tied at six-under 138 heading into the final round at Banyan Golf Club, a shot clear of England’s Jordan Garnish (68-71).

Suradit Yongcharoenchai and Ratchapol Jantavara share fourth a further shot back as Varanyu Rattanaphaibulkij, also of Thailand, and England’s Zane Scotland, who shared the overnight lead with France’s Weber, slipped to T8 after carding 75s.

“I had a pretty solid round today,” said Janewattananond. “ I started early in the morning and that helped. It got a bit windy on Tuesday afternoon, but this morning we had a bit of an advantage as it was very still out there,

“I did well on the back nine, scoring three of my four birdies. I love the idea of using range finders and golf buggies on the MENA Tour. I think I just need to get my rhythm going as there are a lot of good golfers on the leaderboard.”

France’s Weber, who is also a Banyan Golf Club ambassador, made three birdies against two bogeys en route to a second-round 71 to hold on to his overnight lead as Wolmer Murillo of Venezuela, who finished second here last year, kept his hopes alive, moving into a tie for 6^th on three under after a 71.

Dubai-based Brazilian Tiago Lobo fired an impressive 68 to join India’s Rayhan Thomas atop the amateur standings on one-under, six ahead of Victoria Tip-Aucha, the first female to play in a MENA Tour event and now the first to make a cut after rounds of 73-76.

An eagle on the par-5, 3rd highlighted the round of Lobo while Thomas, who was two under for the day and six under for the championship through 14, had to settle for a 73 after dropping three shots, including a double bogey on the par-3 17^th. 

Elsewhere, England Andrew Marshall carded back-to-back 73s that left him tied for 32nd in an 11-man group which included Craig Hinton, the winner of the MENA Tour’s Order of Merit title last year.

The cut was made at four-over 148 with 44 professionals and 10 amateurs making it to the final round.

Craig Kieswetter may have missed the cut by two shots, but the former England cricketer provided one of the highlights of the day, acing the par-3, 15th from 134 yards with a pitching wedge for his second career hole-in-one — and the first in a professional tournament.

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