Osther leads Ghala Open

Moroccan, Saudi stars shine

MUSCAT, Oct 24: Fernand Osther fired a sizzling six-under 66 to set the early pace in the MENA Golf Tour’s Ghala Open on Monday.

The talented 28-year-old from the Netherlands reeled off five birdies and one eagle against a lone bogey to surge a good two shots clear of rising Chilean amateur Matias Calderon and South Africa’s Luke Trocado.

Joe Heraty, the winner of the Sahara Kuwait Championship last week, led the chasing pace a further shot adrift in a four-man group which included his fellow Englishmen Andrew Marshall and Adam Ward and Switzerland’s Jean-Luc Burnier.

The Moroccan trio of Ahmed Marjan, Younes El Hassani and Mustapha El Maouas also made their presence felt, sharing eight on two-under with eight others as 28 players broke par on the opening day.

South Africa’s Trocado felt he struck the ball well, especially off the tee. “I created plenty of scoring opportunities out there with my wedges, but the putts just refused to go in,” said Trocado.

Fresh off his course-record equaling 62 he shot last week