Ten Within Five Of The Lead Including Wood Just One Back In Morocco

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The final round of the inaugural Al Houara Classic promises to be a dogfight to the finish with 10 players within five shots of the lead, including England’s Chris Wood just a stroke behind on the stunning Atlantic Ocean shoreline Al Houara club course in northern Morocco.

Wood’s fellow countryman Joseph Pagdin and Ireland’s Alex Maguire share the lead at six-under heading to the final round with this season’s two-time MENA Golf Tour champ Wood one shot behind and four tied in fourth place on four under.

England’s Luke Joy is in eighth spot at two-under and two others sharing ninth on one-under.

It will be two-tee start for the second round after 65 of the original 97-players made the final round cut.

Pagdin, who had trailed overnight leader Maguire by one shot after a first-round 68, added a composed two-under 70 to move level at the summit. In a round that began on the 10th, the Englishman picked up birdies at the 12th and 17th before dropping shots at the 13th and 14th, then came home strongly on the front nine with further gains at the first and sixth.

“I didn’t feel like I played quite as well as I did yesterday and had a few awkward yardages where I was in between clubs,” said Padgin.

“The wind eased a little over the closing holes and if it drops even more tomorrow this course is definitely gettable. The key will be to stay smart, take the chances when they come and make the most of the par fives, because they could be big scoring holes.”

Alongside him at the top, Maguire carded a one-under 71, picking up a birdie at the 14th on his opening nine before gains at the first and fifth on the inward half were offset by bogeys at the third and seventh. It has been a season of near-misses for Maguire and the Irishman made clear he intends to convert his position into a maiden MENA Golf Tour title.

“When you’ve got a 40-kilometre wind off the left or right, you’re not firing at flags, you’re aiming for the fat part of the green because if it gets knocked down or pushed, you can short-side yourself very quickly,” he said. “If it dies down tomorrow, you can definitely be more aggressive and I think the course will play easier – with the quality of players here, it could turn into a bit of a birdie fest. I feel like I’ve been knocking on the door for a while now and being in those positions has been a huge learning curve. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll knock on the door again and this time it opens.”

The man most likely to spoil the party is Wood, whose closing front nine proved the highlight of a two-under 68. The two-time Tour winner started steadily from the 10th, dropping a shot at the 12th before responding immediately with a birdie at the 13th. He then caught fire on the front nine, reeling off birdies at the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth in a stunning closing burst of 32 to leave him just one off the pace heading into Saturday.

Yet the story of the day belonged entirely to Floydd, whose extraordinary 11-under-par 61 – played with preferred lies in operation – was the best competitive round of his career and catapulted him from seven over par into a share of fourth place at four under. Starting from the first, the Englishman was on fire from the outset, picking up a birdie at the third before eagles at the fourth and ninth were the centrepiece of a breathtaking outward half of 29. He kept his foot on the accelerator coming home, adding four more birdies at the 10th, 14th, 15th and 16th to complete a flawless round without a single dropped shot.

“There wasn’t a huge change from yesterday apart from the conditions being a bit more benign,” said Floydd. “Yesterday was brutal and it beat me up a little — golf is the most humbling game in the world — but I felt my game was in good shape coming in, even though this is my first proper event since October. I arrived late and was freezing yesterday morning, couldn’t really move properly, but once the sun came out today I felt a lot more comfortable and ready to swing it.

“I even gained what felt like 60 or 70 yards off the tee with the body moving better, and the new TaylorMade driver with a low-spin option has really helped in the wind – I even hit one off the deck onto the green. To shoot the best competitive round I’ve ever had, even better than anything with my mates, is pretty special.

“The MENA Golf Tour has been great for me over the years and it’s perfect preparation before I head back to the HotelPlanner Tour. Tomorrow I’ll prepare the same way, make good decisions and see what happens. A win would mean a lot – for confidence, for momentum and for funding the season – but I know how tough it is to back up a really low one, so I’ll just try to replicate today and stay patient.”

The tournament also marked a proud moment for Moroccan golf, with three home players making the cut in the MENA Golf Tour’s first event on Moroccan soil. Ayoub Ssouadi, Ayoub Lguirati and Othman Raouzi all came through to compete in Saturday’s final round, with Lguirati articulating what the week has meant for golf in the host nation.

“It’s always special to play at home in Morocco – it’s the perfect preparation for my international events and we’re very happy to have tournaments like this here,” he said. “I’ve played this course two or three times before and it’s a real challenge, especially with the wind the last two days. The level this week is very strong, which is great for us as Moroccan players because we can compete against top international players without having to travel eight or ten hours – it’s just a short drive from home.

“That’s very important for junior development and for Moroccan golf, especially with the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, who is doing so much for the game here. Hopefully I’ll continue playing more MENA Golf Tour events, especially when they’re here in Morocco.”

Egor Eroshenko, Mark Power and Pierre Pineau are also at four-under-par alongside Floydd, one shot off the pace, while England’s Luke Joy sits at two-under in eighth place. With five players within two shots of the leaders, Saturday’s final round promises to be a compelling contest.

The third and final round of the Al Houara Classic takes place tomorrow (Saturday), where OWGR points and a share of the $100,000 prize fund will be up for grabs as the first event of the back-to-back Morocco Series reaches its conclusion.

For more information please visit: www.menagolftour.com



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