Clements and Joy atop leaderboard at Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship
aqaba (jordan) — Todd Clements continued his impressive run on the MENA Tour, firing a tidy fourunder-par 69 in tough windy conditions to join fellow Englishman Luke Joy atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship on Thursday, according to a press release.
The 21-year-old amateur, who boasts two seconds in his last three events, started red hot, notching up three birdies in a row while Joy mixed six birdies and an eagle with four bogeys as English players dominated the opening day’s proceedings, claiming the top four places.
Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner on the tour, carded a solid 70 that left him alone on third, one shot clear of Lee Corfield as MENA Tour patron Darren Clarke settled for tied 15th after returning a three-over 76.
“It’s quite windy out there and it’s difficult (to score). You have to keep your emotions in check. Controlling the flight of the ball is quite important here,” said Clements, who is now 29 under for the last 10 rounds he has played on the MENA Tour.
“I got off to a nice start and managed to keep the momentum going. I am enjoying my golf and very happy with my efforts. We still have two more rounds to go and we will see how things pan out,” said Clements, the winner of the 2017 English Amateur Championship at The Berkshire in August.
A two-time winner on the tour, Joy was equally pleased with his day’s work. “Holed some nice putts and also left a few, but overall, it was a pretty good round. The course is just awesome and the wind makes it even more challenging,” said Joy who is attached to Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.
Elsewhere, Jordan’s Shergo Al Kurdi, who played the opening round in the company of Clarke, moved into a tie for 25th after opening with a 78, one behind Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla while UAE’s Ahmed Skaik (80) and Ahmed Al Musharrekh (81) endured a tough day, leaving themselves some work to do.