The 49-year-old European Tour star was joined at Sunday’s preview presser by defending champion Rayhan Thomas and will again have the Dubai-based amateur (as well as Swede Fredrik From) for company in the marque first round group of the $50,000, 54-holer on Monday.

Clarke admits he has “no idea” what his golf will be like when he heads off at 11.10am after putting his game on ice for the best part of two years to devote himself to the 2016 European Ryder Cup captaincy. But, as the tour’s official patron, he intends leaving a lasting legacy regardless of how he fares in his second start on the developmental circuit.

“Hopefully I’m here to play it [the tournament] pretty well but after the tournament is over, I have a Q&A with all the guys… hopefully a few will turn up and ask me some questions and if I can help them, I’m only too pleased to do so,” said the Northern Irishman.

“I’ve been on tour a very long time so I’ve probably made all the mistakes these young kids are about to make, so if I can help steer them away from those, maybe give them a couple of suggestions that will help their golf and make them better players, then I’m very, very pleased to do that.”

Clarke has a year to rekindle some of his old magic before teeing it up on the Champions Tour in the U.S. but admits a busy corporate schedule hasn’t helped lift his post Ryder Cup blues any.

Since Europe’s 17-11 loss at Hazeltine National GC last October, Clarke has missed the cut in all 12 European Tour events he’s started including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and The Open at Royal Birkdale. His stroke average is 75.57 – his best score in 23 rounds is 70 at the BMW SA Open in January – and he’s suffered the frustration of rounds of 84 and 80 at the Open de France and Scottish Open respectively, the latter leading to a premature Thursday withdrawal.

Still, he is the joint course record holder with Lee Westwood and Australia’s Benjamin Eccles at DCGYC – even if he doesn’t remember much about the round of 63 – and was joint second in his previous MENA Tour start, the 2015 Ras Al Khaimah Classic where he fired rounds of 71-66-71 to finish -8 and four shots adrift of runaway South African winner Thriston Lawrence at Tower Links.

“My own golf was on hold for the most part during those two years [but] I turned 49 a couple of weeks ago so I have a year before the Champions Tour over in America and I want to play.

“To come out here and compete against all these young kids again, there’s not many playing with as much grey hair as I’ve got this week, so to compete against these kids is great and to see the talent coming through,” Clarke said.

A 12-time winner around the world, Clarke admits the loss in Hazeltine still smarts.

“Certainly the Ryder Cup last year was very, very disappointing, to be a losing captain, that’s not why I went into it, not what I wanted to do. I mean I was annoyed about it for quite some time after losing, probably still am, but at the end of the day, did I do my best, all I possibly could to help the guys to win? I think I did but unfortunately the American guys played a little bit better, and that’s professional sport.”

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The 2011 Open champion and 2016 Ryder Cup captain’s entry is a boon for the 54-hole event at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, the first of the developmental Pro-Am circuit’s final six tournaments of 2017 following a 10-week summer break.

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The September 11-13 tournament will be Clarke’s second appearance on the MENA Tour which he serves as patron. The Ulsterman finished in a four way share of second place at the 2015 Ras Al Khaimah Classic, firing rounds of 71-66-71 to finish -8 at Tower Links, four shots adrift of runaway South African winner Thriston Lawrence (South Africa).

Rayhan Thomas, who coincidentally finished top amateur (T11 at -5) at Tower Links two years ago, is set to defend his Dubai Creek Open title before jetting off to New Jersey as the International team’s No.1 for the inaugural Junior Presidents Cup.

RELATED CONTENT: Rayhan Thomas eyes Junior Presidents Cup

The 17-year-old Dubai-based Indian No.1 created history by becoming the MENA Tour’s first amateur winner at his home tournament last September and has since gone on to reach a career high 50th placing on the amateur world rankings, helped in no small way by making the cut at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and a memorable run to the semifinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur. He has a chance to emulate 10-time MENA Tour winner Zane Scotland, also a confirmed starter next week, as the only player to successfully defend the Dubai Creek title.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it would be great to give myself another chance and hopefully do it. It’s my home course and it’s where I learned to golf,” said Thomas.

Dubai-based Indian teen Rayhan Thomas created history by becoming the first amateur to win a MENA Tour event in September – Getty Images

“The game’s feeling good and I am hoping to ride on the good momentum coming into the week. With legendary Darren Clarke in the field, I am sure every player will be charged up to give off his best. It will be great fun.”

Thomas is one of 15 former MENA Tour winners confirmed for DCGYC where Clarke jointly holds the course record – 63 – with Lee Westwood and Australia’s Benjamin Eccles.

Among other decorated names confirmed are reigning Order of Merit champion Craig Hinton and Englishman Andrew Marshall and Jake Shepherd. 

Another Englishman, Jamie Elson, will go in search of his maiden MENA Tour victory as he looks to shore up his lead – currently just 451 points ahead of Luke Joy – atop the 2017 OOM standings. Joy, still battling the after effects of a “savage” bout of malaria he picked up at the Joburg City Masters in early June, won’t be at DCGYC but for good reason – he’s teeing it up at the European Tour’s KLM Dutch Open instead, his reward for finishing second on last year’s money list.

RELATED CONTENT: Eyes on the Prize for MENA Tour leader Jamie Elson

Elson has much to play for with the eventual OOM champion earning three European Tour starts – including the Desert Classic – an invite to the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational as well as a full Sunshine Tour card and exemption to the final stage of Asian Tour Q-School.

Created in 2011, the MENA Tour is an initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation. It is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

RELATED CONTENT: Jordan’s Ayla Golf Resort added to MENA Tour schedule as Al Zorah eyes season decider

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The new  ‘Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship’ and the lofty elevation of Ajman’s Al Zorah Golf Club to season-ending Tour Championship status highlight the tour’s six-tournament “post summer” schedule unveiled Monday.

Dubai Creek, The Els Club Dubai, Yas Links (Abu Dhabi) and Sahara Golf & Country Club in Kuwait return, meaning the 7^th MENA Tour season will ultimately offer its pro-am members 16 tournaments (including Q-School) across six countries with a total purse of US$673,000 (AED 2.47 million). But it’s the official world ranking points and European, Asian and PGA Tour exemptions on offer, as much as the money, which is helping the developmental Middle East and North Africa circuit continually spread its wings.

MENA Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim is “delighted” to welcome Jordan to the fold as the MENA Tour chips away at getting an Arab golfer to the Olympic Games. It will be hosted at the new Greg Norman-designed Ayla Golf Resort, the country’s first all-grass 18-holer, in Aqaba.

“We are also excited to be making our first visit to Al Zohra for the season finale which, for the first time, will be a 72-hole affair,” Buamaim said. “Their [Al Zorah’s] support is a reflection on the strides being made by the tour in putting the region on the sporting map. I am sure our members will have a memorable experience playing on the Nicklaus-design layout.”

Al Zorah replaces Muscat Hills Golf & CC as host of the October 23-26 Tour Championship. Another Oman event, the Ghala Open, and the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at the now closed Al Badia GC in Dubai are also missing from last year’s summer schedule.

The Tour Championship will be contested by the top 50 professionals and 10 leading amateurs in what is shaping as a tight order of merit (OOM) points race.

Al Zorah GC in Ajman

Jamie Elson, who has played all nine main tour events thus far, currently leads the pro OOM from fellow Englishmen Luke Joy and veteran Andrew Marshall while Brazil’s Dubai-based Tiago Lobo sits atop the amateur points standings by two points from England’s Sam Hobday.

But with nine first time winners this season, there is much to play for including a start in the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (for the MENA Tour champion) as well as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy, Maybank Championship Malaysia and KLM Open during the wrap-around 2017-18 European Tour schedule. Playing privileges on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, and exemptions into the final stage of the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools are also up for grabs.

“With each event producing a new winner, including Netherland’s Pierre Junior Verlaar, who became the second amateur after Rayhan [2016 Dubai Creek Open champion Rayhan Thomas] to win a MENA Tour event, the first-half of the season turned out to be a great success, further amplifying the strength of the tour.

“With Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points on offer, I see big things for the MENA Tour. If it keeps going the way it is, it’s a huge pathway for someone from this region to qualify for the Olympics. It gives young professionals much-needed experience, which is difficult to gain.”

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA 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.

2017 MENA Tour – Post summer schedule
Sept 11-13: The Dubai Creek Open
Venue: at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. Purse: US$50,000

Sept 18-20: The Golf Citizen Classic
Venue: Els Club Dubai. Purse: US$30,000

Sept 25-27: The Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open
Venue: Yas Links GC. Purse: US$50,000

Oct 5-7: Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship
Venue: Ayla Golf Resort (Aqaba). Purse: US$50,000

Oct 16-18: The Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship
Venue: Sahara Golf & County Club. Purse: US$50,000

Oct 23-26: The MENA Tour Championship
Venue: Al Zorah GC (Ajman). Purse: $100,000

Completed events
March 6-9: 2017 Qualifying School, El Jadida Golf Club, Morocco
Winner – Jack Doherty (SCO)

March 14-16: Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open
Winner – Leo Lilja (SPN)

March 19-21: Royal Golf Mohammedia Open
Winner – Pierre Junior Verlaar (NED/Amateur)

April 24-26: Ras Al Khaimah Classic
Winner – Peter Stojanovski (AUS)

Thailand Swing
May 2-4: Mahasamutr Masters
Winner – Jazz Janewattananond (THAI)

May 8-10: Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen
Winner – Lionel Weber (FRA)

May 16-19: Pattana Golf Championship*
Winner – Fredrik From (SWE)

South African Swing
June 7-9: South to East Challenge
Winner – Breyten Meyer (RSA)

June 13-15: Jo’burg City Masters
Winner – Jaco Prinsloo (RSA)

June 20-22: The Roar
Winner – Daniel Hammond (RSA)

*72-hole event reduced to 36 holes due to inclement weather

The post Jordan’s Ayla Golf Resort added to MENA Tour schedule as Al Zorah eyes season decider appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After two rained out days and several frustrating false starts in between, the inaugural Pattana Golf Championship finally got underway in Thailand Thursday and the Spaniard made up for lost time with a sizzling eight-under 64.

It will see Casado take a two shot lead over Thai Nakul Vichitryuthasastr into Friday’s final round with the MENA Golf Tour’s first ever 72-hole tournament to be decided over 36-holes, whether permitting.

England’s Jodan Garnish and Indian Udayan Mane fired 67s to share third a further shot adrift, one clear of a seven-man group which included Venezuela’s Wolmer Murillo, the winner of the MENA Tour’s Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen last year.

Starting on Pattana Golf Club & Resort’s 10th tee, Casado jumped out of the blocks with an impressive six successive birdies from the 11th.

“It was an amazing round with nine birdies. My putting was crazy as I made six birdies from holes 11-16 and another three on the front nine,” the Spaniard said.

“This is my first year playing on the MENA Tour and I am really enjoying the atmosphere as there is a tremendous sense of camaraderie among the players.”

That mightn’t last if Casado continues to wield such a hot putter although Vichitryuthasastr went bogey free Thursday and looks a threat. The experienced Thai also lit up the back nine with five birdies before picking up another shot on the 1st to stay in contention for a maiden MENA Tour title.

‘Played a good, solid round. I had an early start and benefited from the lack of wind,” said Vichitryuthasastr who turned professional in 2006 after an impressive amateur career which saw him represent Thailand in the Putra Cup and the Eisenhower Trophy.

Mane also kept it clean, reeling off two birdies on the front nine and three coming home.

“I drove the ball really well which gave me enough chances to hit greens,” said the Bangaluru native, who won a Professional Golf Tour of India’s event in Dhaka in March.

“It was a bit waterlogged in a few places, but it’s our duty as players to adjust to the course. The greens were surprisingly really quick and it caught me off guard on a few holes, but I was able to salvage pars.”

Elsewhere, European Tour regular Prom Meesawat returned a 70 to move into a 16-way tie for 16th along with England’s Zane Scotland and Luke Joy, who finished runner-up at last week’s Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen.

Brazil’s Dubai-based prodigy Tiago Lobo mixed five birdies with an eagle and four bogeys to lead the amateur division on a 69, three shots ahead of fast-improving Indian star Arkesh Bhatia, who is also based in Dubai.

The cut was made at level-par 72 with 58 professionals and seven amateurs making it to the final round. English cricketer-turned-golfer Craig Kieswetter (73) was among the notables who missed out on the halfway mark.

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Some play was possible on the second day of the inaugural $50,000 event after a waterlogged Pattana Golf Club and Resort saw the abandonment of Tuesday’s opening round. But another deluge of rain shortly after the commencement of play saw tournament director Trevor Varri (pictured) pull the plug on Wednesday’s play.

“The course has not cleared, it’s still water-logged, we’ve had more rain since then and the course is still unplayable, so unfortunately the rest of the day we are not going to be able to get any further play so we’ve cancelled play today,” said Varri.

Play is scheduled to recommence – with the scores of the few players who did manage to start Wednesday null and void – at 7am (Thai time) Thursday. However the weather forecast has Varri worried for the fate of the flagship event of the tour’s Thailand swing.

“Hopefully we’ll get the play in tomorrow, the weather forecast is not great but we’ll do everything we can to prepare the course ready for play. The greenkeeping staff have been absolutely amazing and they’re working so hard all day and all night to keep the water off the course but we still see it coming down and it’s very, very difficult at the moment to foresee how we are going to conclude this tournament,” he said.

RELATED CONTENT
“Big Dolphin” Meesawat headlines historic MENA Tour event in Thailand

“There’s one or two options at the moment to try and get 36 holes completed at the least but it all depends really on what happens tomorrow [Thursday] so we’ll reassess tomorrow and hopefully we’ll get some play.”

Pattana’s 10th hole

Varri has ordered a reverse draw so the early “starters” from the first two days “can get a bit of a lie in” because “they have been getting up at the crack of dawn”.

“This way we can spread the frustration around a little bit.”

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The 32-year-old Thai, nicknamed the ‘Big Dolphin’ courtesy of his burly physique, will tee it up in the Dubai-HQed Tour’s first 72-hole event at Pattana Golf Club and Resort in Chon Buri, a 135 minute drive south-east of Bangkok, from Tuesday.

After winning three Thai Amateur Championships and the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships in 1997 and 2002, Meesawat turned pro in 2004 and landed his first pro title at the SK Telecom Open in South Korea two years later.

He has one other Asian Tour title – the 2014 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship – and has played a total of 127 European Tour events since 2013, including qualifying for the 2011 Open Championship where he missed the cut at Royal St George’s.

After losing his full playing privileges last season, the Hua Hin native is currently 92nd in the Race to Dubai standings having banked €107,697 in six 2016-17 wraparound season starts, headlined by top 15 finishes at the Australian PGA Championship (T10), Omega Dubai Desert Classic (T15) and Hero Indian Open (T13).

The son of Suthepi, the first Thai to win the Thailand Open, Meesawat came closest to a European Tour breakthrough when he dipped out in a three-way playoff for the 2013 Hong Kong Open to a Miguel Angel Jimenez birdie in the first extra hole.

Ranked 307th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Meesawat is one of 33 Thais in a field for this week’s $50,000 event including players from 25 countries. The Pattana Golf Championship is the climax to the MENA Tour’s three tournament Thailand swing and carries additional OWGR points given it is a round longer than the tour’s usual 54-hole offerings.

Switzerland’s Dubai-based Michael Harradine and Thailand’s Worathon Zeng will lead the challenge in the amateur division that has attracted nine entries. Harradine won amateur honours at last week’s Mountain Creek Open on on six-under 210 last week while Zeng had reigned supreme at the first Thailand swing event, the MahaSamutr Masters.

“We are very excited to be part of the MENA Tour. It will provide us with a great opportunity to showcase our championship course to a field which wears a global look,” said Rujirapun Juangroongruangkit, Executive Vice President of Pattana Golf Club.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour, thanked the Pattana Golf Club and Resort management for supporting the event, saying: “We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to stage our landmark 72-hole tournament. I am confident it will become a permanent stop on the tour.”

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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.

The post Weber goes wire-to-wire to waltz maiden pro title in Thailand as Harradine finishes tied third appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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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