Ireland’s Peter Lawrie takes early advantage in Trophee Hassan II of European Tour
The Trophee Hassan II started yesterday at the scenic par-72, Golf du Palais Royal and Golf de L’Ocean in Adagir, Morocco. The Irishman Peter Lawrie managed to take an early lead in the tournament by three shots after his opening round. Weather conditions
were perfect, as it was a bright sunny day.
Lawrie is a seasoned player and has been playing on the European Tour for quite a long time. He started his day with an eagle on his very first hole and managed to put up a score of eight-under par, 64. His score card showed two eagles, five birdies and
just a single bogey. This score was enough for him to take an early advantage in the four day championship.
The 37-year-old, who recently celebrated his birthday, looked in great shape with his approach shots. He had two eagles on the 5th and 10th, both being a par-5. His only drop shot came on the par-4, 3rd where his tee shot
ended up in thick rough. The veteran looked confident throughout the day with his hitting and was stroking it well on the greens.
The man from Ireland was more than happy as he carded a fantastic round after quite a while. He only has a single win playing on the European Tour and is hoping to add another one to his name. If he wins, this will be his second after a time span of three
years.
Lawrie in his interview with the media said, “I got off to a great start with an eagle at the tenth hole – my first - I holed out from about 25 feet. After that I played lovely, gave myself lots of chances and made one stupid bogey where I missed the green
left on the third and didn’t get up and down.”
Three players are behind the leader and share the second spot on the leader board. Defending champion Rhys Davies, India’s Shiv Kapur and Englishman John Bickerton, all carded a similar round of five-under par, 67 and are three behind the leader.
Davies of Wales picked up his first European Tour victory here last year. He had six birdies and a single bogey in the day. His only bogey came on the par-4, 6th where he sliced his drive into the thick rough. Davies had to be content with a bogey
from thereon. The Welshman was pleased with his repeat performance in the first round this year and is confident of his title defence.
Indian Kapur had a great opening round also. He had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys during the first day. His eagle was on the par-5, 15th where his approach shot rolled inside a couple of feet from the hole. The 29-year-old from India has
only won a single victory playing on the European Tour and is hoping to improve his record.
Bickerton was looking confident with his stroke making on the fast greens. He only had a single bogey on his score card followed by six birdies.
Seven players occupy the fifth spot on the score board after the first round. They had a score of four-under par and are four shots behind the leader.
Michael Campbell, who won the U.S. Open in 2005, showed some improvement on the first day. He managed a steady round of three-under par, 69 and is tied for the 12th spot.
The second round of the championship will commence today and the defending champion is expected to post his name on top of the leader board.
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