Scotland’s Ben Alexander shot a career-best five-under 67 to join Stuart

Archibald, Christofer Blomstrand and Cyril Suk atop the leaderboard on

the opening day of the Muscat Hills Golf Citizen Championship Monday.

 

The 21-year-old Scottish prodigy from Renaissance rebounded from an early

bogey on the first with two birdies on the front nine and picked up three more

shots coming home, including an eagle on the par-5, 13th, to introduce himself on

the MENA Golf Tour after missing the cut in all his six previous outings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

England’s Archibald and Sweden’s Blomstrand went bogey-free while Czech

Republic Suk, who won the 2014 Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open, reeled off four

birdies in his last seven holes to move into a four-way tie for the lead.

 

Sweden’s Per Barth, the winner of the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open last month,

was placed solo fifth a further shots adrift with Scotland’s Clarke Lutton, who won

last week at The Els Club, heading a 10-man group at three-under.

 

On a hot and humid day when 30 players broke par, Alexander made his

presence felt with a tidy round, but he was not too excited. “I should have been a

lot lower … missed many short putts,” said Alexander, who is playing in his first

season on the tour.

 

“I was feeling mentally much stronger and that was the key,” said the Scotsman,

who started playing competitive golf only a year back.

 

Of his eagle on the 13th, he said: “I missed the fairway off the tee, but hit my four-

iron from 221 years to within two feet of the pin. It certainly lifted my round and

my spirits,” he added.

 

England’s Archibald, who finished in solo third at last week’s event at The Els

Club, sounded very pleased with his day’s work.

 

“I really didn’t know what to expect when I teed off, but things fell into place as the

round wore on. I drove the ball well and hit my approaches close to the pin,” said

Archibald, who made the turn at one under.

 

“I chipped in on the 18th for a birdie which was quite nice. In fact, I played the last

three well, but missed out on a five-footer for a birdie on the 16th, which was a

“The course is very well designed. It’s just that the greens are a bit tough to read,”

said the 31-year-old from Hampshire.

 

Morocco’s Younes El Hassani and Mustapha El Maouas carded matching three-

under 69s for a share of the lead in the MENA Division, one shot clear of their

compatriots Mohamed Belaroussia and Mehdi Saissi.

 

Elsewhere, England’s Joshua White, who won the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit

title last year, carded a 71 while India’s Rayhan Thomas returned a two-under 70,

highlighted by an eagle on the 13th, to occupy solo second in amateur division

behind Alexander.