Agency
RAS AL KHAIMAH // Zane Scotland staged a back-nine rally to overcome a stuttering start and return a level-par 72 in the opening round of the Mena Golf Tour's Ras Al Khaimah Classic on Monday.
The magnificent fightback, which saw the defending champion make six birdies in his last seven holes at Tower Links Golf Club, left the Englishman four shots off the pace.
On a day when 50 players shot par or better, Toni Ferrer (Spain), Ashley Rees (England) and Abdulrahman Sihag (Kenya) all shot four-under 68 to seize joint control of the tournament. Morocco’s Ahmed Marjane heads an eight-man chasing group on three-under.
Making his debut on the Mena Tour, England’s John Singleton, who this year qualified for the British Open, settled for a level-par 72.
“It was my first competitive round since the Open and I obviously felt a bit rusty,” said Singleton, who works in a factory in Birkenhead, near Liverpool.
“You will have to play well to win here as the standard of the competition is very high with players like Zane in the field. Hopefully, I will be able to hole more out in the second round and get in contention.”
It was Scotland’s rally that stood out after he dropped five shots on two holes on the outward nine.
“It was a nightmare,” he said. “On the fifth, I lost my ball off the tee and three putted for a triple bogey. Then, on the sixth, my ball got stuck in a palm tree, resulting in a double-bogey.”
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