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| England's Stephen Dodd topped the leaderboard after the first round on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Photo by MENAgolftour.com |
Nigerian quartet of Okparaku Maduafor, Samuel
Agbeyegbe, Francis Isuku and Emeka Obi have joined 116 other professionals on the
MENA Golf Tour in Dubai to battle for the Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open that teed
off on Monday, October 1 at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.
The quartet missed the cut in the $50,000 prize
money Dubai Creek and Yacht Club Open, the first tourney in a series of six
tourneys that make up the Tour.
Oparaku scored a 13 over par 155 after the first
two rounds to drop out of the money zone while Obi Emeka amassed a total of 21
over par 163 after two rounds to drop out of the final 40 for the last round.
Agbeyegbe, on his part, scored a 16 over par 158
after the first two rounds while Francis Isuku finished with a 17 over par 159
after the first two rounds.
The four golfers that are looking forward to a
better game after late arrival and tough Dubai heat zapped their energies on
the first Tourney are however not having it any better.
The quartet did not fair any
better after first round of play on Sunday. Okparaku finished with a 14
over par 86 while Francis Isuku finished with 7 over par 79 Samuel
Agbeyegbe amassed a 16 over par 88 while Emeka Obi ended round one with 9
over par 81.
England's Stephen Dodd led the leaderboard after first round with 6 under par 66.
Organizers believe that ‘quicker greens and
shifting desert winds will hold the key to scoring good numbers’ when the
second tourney on the MENA Golf Tour gets under way.
"The course is set up nicely at 7,300 yards
from Gold Tees and the greens will be running a bit fast, about 10.5 to 11 on
the stimpmeter," said Paul Booth, director of Club Operations.
"The players will have to hit their approach
shots in the right place on the undulating greens if they aim to do well. You
never know what will happen in golf, but the course will provide a fair
all-round test for the players.
"If the desert winds get up, which happens so
often, they could affect the scoring," said Booth, adding: “We look
forward to seeing an absorbing battle in the next three days since the field
looks pretty strong.”
Zane Scotland, the winner of the Dubai Creek Golf Open,
the opening event on this year's Tour, on Wednesday spearheaded the strong field of
120 golfers. The former European Tour player was hoping to consolidate his
lead on the Order of Merit when he teed off at 10.08am Sunday.
The 30-year-old Englishman has good memories of the
course to motivate him. He shot rounds of 69, 72 and 67 to seal a thrilling win
here in the inaugural edition of the tour last year. His final round 67 is
still the official course record.
"It feels good coming back to a venue where
you have enjoyed some success. This is a new tournament and a new start. Let's
see how things unfold," said Scotland, who can expect a stiff competition
from the likes of Stephen Dood of Wales, Moroccan duo of Faycal Serghini and
Younes El Hassani and Pakistan's Mohammed Munir and Aadil Jehangir.
"The course is in superb conditions. You have
got to hit some good shots to reach the greens in regulations. The greens are a
bit fast. At the end of the day if it turns to be a sort of putting competition
I won't be surprised," said Serghini, who shot back-to-back rounds of 70
last week for a middle-of-the-pack finish on 215.
The Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen has attracted a full
field of 120 players compared to last year's 72, the rise in number amply
reflecting on the tour's and the event's popularity.
Apart from Isuku, Agbeyegbe, Maduafor and Emeka, of
the 116 players left, 26 are amateurs which include Morocco's Ahmed Marjan, the
winner of last year's Order of Merit title, and Michael Harradine, who finished
second in last week's Dubai Creek Open.
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