The 24-year-old Spanish rookie, who had only qualified for the tour via Q-School the previous week, pipped Englishman Luke Joy on the sixth hole of extra time at the season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open with a two-putt birdie on the par 5 17th.

Lilja’s victory in the marathon playoff came after the Spaniard fired a bogey-free 68 to set a clubhouse target of eight-under, a number Joy matched with a closing 69 after three birdies on his homeward nine offset an early bogey.

He is the third Spaniard to win on the developmental Pro-Am tour after Gabriel Canizares and Carlos Balmaseda.

“I am really very, very happy. Just can’t believe that I have won my very first event on the tour. It feels so surreal,” said Lilja after receiving the winner’s trophy from Ali Ouaziz, director of operations at Palmeraie Country Club.

“I played really solid during the week and holed many good putts out there which was the key.”

Joy, a two-time winner on the tour, said in his blog that he planned to dull his disappointment with a “heavy night” out. “Coffee and Nutella crepe it is. Got to love Morocco!”

“I can’t say I’m not frustrated not to get the win this week but the game is progressing nicely and I need to keep pushing forward and keep improving,” Joy continued.

Overnight leader Lee Corfield finished solo third after the Englishman shot a closing one-over 72.

Morocco’s Younes El Hassani finished a creditable fourth alongside Scot Jack McDonald after posting a final round 70. On six-under-par 207, El Hassani comfortably won the MENA division by two shots over compatriot Faycal Serghini, who carded a final round 68. Ahmed-Reda Rhazali and Mohamed Belaroussia were a distant third in the Arab division at three over.

Dutchman Pierre Junior Verlaar led from start to finish to win the amateur division on one under, a seven shots ahead of England’s Todd Clements.

The MENA Tour travels to Mohammedia, a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat, for the Royal Golf Mohammedia Open at Royal Golf D’Anfa, another $40,0000 event starting on March 19. The MENA Tour’s first amateur winner, Rayhan Thomas, is included in the field after playing the European Tour’s Hero Indian Open.

Leo Lilja is pictured receiving the trophy from Ali Ouaziz, director of operations at Palmeraie Country Club. Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour, Imad Bufarik, the club’s golf manager, and Majid Bennis of HLO, were also present.

The post Spanish rookie wins on MENA Tour debut after negotiating marathon six hole playoff appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 35-year-old took a one-shot buffer into the final round of the tour’s season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open Thursday after adding a blemish free 66 Wednesday to his opening 68.

Corfield, -8 through 36 holes, was one clear of compatriot Stuart Archibald who also fired a 66 Wednesday while a second round 70 had first-round leader Luke Joy two adrift entering the final round of the $40,000, 54-holer.

Morocco’s Younes El Hassani, Scot Jack McDonald and Spaniard Leo Lilja shared fourth on -5 as three shots separated the top seven, promising a thrilling finish Thursday.

“Played pretty good on the front nine and scrambled very well coming in,” was Corfield’s assessment of his second round. “It was tricky out there because of the wind, but overall I am really pleased with my day’s work and looking forward to the final round.”

Archibald, who picked up two shots on the front nine and three more coming home Wednesday, will go in search of his maiden MENA Tour win today.

“It feels nice to post a bogey-free round early in the season which shows my game is in good shape. I drove the ball well and hit some nice iron shots,” said Archibald, who was placed tied fifth after an opening 69.

“I did hit a few errant shots, but managed to get away with them with some good up-and-downs and that kept the round going and ticking over.

“The course is really good this week. It’s quite long with firm fairways. There is not too much rough out there, but it’s well bunkered. If you miss the fairways, you can get punished. The greens are nice to putt on which is great. This course is really a good addition to the Moroccan swing.”

Morocco’s El Hassani matched the day’s best score of a 66 to keep alive his chances of a breakthrough win on the tour. “I am striking the ball really well. Holed some good putts out there.

“If I can keep the momentum rolling into the final round, I think I stand good chance to get the job done,” said the experienced El Hassani, who leads the MENA Division by four shots over his fellow countrymen Faycal Serghini and Ahmed-Reda Rhazali.

Elsewhere, England’s Andrew Marshall shot back-to-back 71s to take a share of 16^th on level par while Joshua White, the 2014 MENA Tour Order of Merit champion, moved into a tie for eighth on -1 after carding a second round 72. Dutchman Pierre Junior Verlaar stayed on top in the amateur division after a second round 71, five clear of England’s Todd Clements.

The cut was made at +3 145 with 54 professionals and 10 amateurs making it to the final round. Among the notables to miss out were 10-time winner Zane Scotland (+4), Ian Poulter’s brother Danny Poulter (+6) and former England cricketer Craig Kieswetter (+7).

The post Englishman Lee Corfield eyes fifth MENA Tour win in Casablanca appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Joy rattled off four birdies in his last six holes to fire a blemish free five-under 66 Tuesday and seize the early initiative from countrymen Lee Corfield and Jordan Loft and Sweden’s Henric Sturehed who carded 68s on a day when 20 players broke par.

Reigning MENA Tour order of merit champion Craig Hinton left himself with plenty of work to do after opening with an eight-over 79 to lie in a tie for 78th place. The Englishman dropped all the shots in his first 10 holes, including a triple-bogey on the par-3 7^th.

Of the other notables in the 137-strong field, 10-time tour winner Zane Scotland returned a 74 while fellow Englishman Danny Poulter, the elder brother of European Ryder Cup hero Ian, shot a 72. India’s Feroz Singh Garewal, who graduated via last week’s MENA Tour Q-school, fired a 71.

Joy was happy with his first day of work on the 2017 MENA Tour after the disappointment of missing an Asia Tour card earlier this year.

“I played very nicely today, solid off the tee and solid into the greens which made it a stress free day overall,” Joy said in his blog overnight.

“The course is fairly open off the tee but has some of the best greens we will see all year which makes it a fun course to play from the fairways. I tee off at 7.30am tomorrow [Morocco time] so will be taking every item of clothes I own out with me as I’m sure it’s going to be a chilly start to the day.”

Joy was paired with former England wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter who carded a 75 in his professional debut after safely negotiating last week’s Q-School, also in Morocco.

“He is always in good spirits,” Joy said of the former cricketer. “Now that he has earned his MENA Tour card for this season, I hope he will be a regular on the tour.”

Corfield, a four-time winner on the tour, mixed eight birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey in a topsy-turvy 68 while Sturehed almost kept it clean, offsetting a bogey on the 7^th with four birdies in his last 11 holes.

“It was kind of an up-and-down round,” Corfield said. Made lots of birdies and bogeys. I may have left some shots out there, but can’t complain after opening with a 68,”

“There are plenty of scoring opportunities if you can drive the ball well off the tee and avoid bunkers. The greens are just excellent,” he said.

Dutchman Pierre Junior Verlaar carded a 72 to lead the amateur division, one shot ahead of Ayoub Saidi and two clear of Amine El Kharraz, also of Morocco.

Moroccans also made their presence felt in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award with Mustapha El Maouas hitting the front after signing for a one-under 70 as Younes El Hassani and Faycal Serghini shared second on level par.

The post Luke Joy fires opening 66 for two stroke Casablanca Open lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The former England wicketkeeper-batsman earned his MENA Tour card in Morocco last week in a giant step towards his lofty dream of becoming a European Tour regular.

He doesn’t have to wait long to face his first examination as a touring professional with the 29-year-old set to tee it up in the MENA Tour’s $40,000 season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open on Tuesday.

The 54-holer on the six-month old course comes after the South African-born Kieswetter tweeted his delight at successfully negotiating the Middle East and North Africa developmental Pro-Am tour’s qualifying school.

Living the dream, from one sport as a professional to another! Qualified for @MENAGolfTour 2017 – double ???? up pic.twitter.com/SiHPu4d0iy

— Craig Kieswetter (@kiesy_22) March 11, 2017

He finished T31 at El Jadida Golf Club in Mazagan – the top 55 and ties earned MENA Tour cards for 2017 – but his 18-over-par total of 234 (77-82-75) shows he still has a way to go to achieve his dream of reaching the European Tour within two years.

Kieswetter was capped 71 times by England – 46 one day internationals and 25 T20 matches – between 2010 and 2013. He was named man of the match after scoring 63 off 49 deliveries in England’s victory over Australia in the World T20 Cup final in 2010 in Barbados but had his cricket career cut short after being struck by a bouncer playing a country match for Somerset in July 2014.

The delivery from Northamptonshire paceman David Willey squeezed through the grille of his helmet, breaking his nose and smashing his eye socket to “pieces”. Though he briefly attempted a comeback, his sight was permanently damaged and definitely no good at night where the white ball and the glare of floodlights proved uncomfortable bedfellows.

His face rebuilt with metal implants and his financial situation comfortable (among his entrepreneur father’s business interests is a distillery in Scotland), Kieswetter was encouraged to go on a golf break. In Florida he arranged for some lessons from David Leadbetter where his natural ability shone and a seed was planted.

Apparently chicks dig scars…?! #rocky pic.twitter.com/DcGBhp5unN

— Craig Kieswetter (@kiesy_22) July 13, 2014

Kieswetter told The Telegraph recently that he is convinced he has the ability and, crucially, the time to make it in pro golf.

“I think at the beginning there was a bit of: who does he think he is?” he said. “Even now, every tournament I go to I’m introduced as the ex-England cricketer. It does frustrate me.

“But it was the same when I first played cricket. Then it was ‘here’s the lad from the affluent family’. That desire to prove people wrong was quite a big thing for me.”

KANDY, SRI LANKA – Craig Kieswetter of England celebrates catching out Kane Williamson of New Zealand during the ICC World Twenty20 2012. Photos by Getty Images

The Casablanca Open, which concludes Thursday, won’t be Kieswetter’s first MENA Tour start. He finished T31 on level par as an amateur in the inaugural Sahara Kuwait Championship last October.

Englishmen Benjamin David and Edward Holland and Scotland’s Daniel Hendry are others set to make their professional debuts at Palmeraie Country Club among a record MENA Tour field of 137 players, including 19 amateurs, from 25 countries. Scotland’s Grant Forrest and India’s Feroz Singh Garewal also graduated from Q-School alongside Kieswetter.

England’s Zane Scotland, awarded the first MENA Tour life-membership by tour patron and 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke at last month’s Dubai Desert Classic, will go in search of a record 11^th win.

Other notables in the field are 2016 moneylist winner Craig Hinton, fellow Englishman Lee Corfield, Andrew Marshall, Luke Joy, and Jake Shepherd – all multiple winners on the MENA Tour – 2014 order of merit champion Joshua White and Spanish swashbuckler Carlos Balmaseda.

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