Quiros on a Moroccan roll in bid for Rabat win

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros is in pole position to secure another out-of-the-blue victory on the European Tour after claiming the halfway lead in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco.

Quiros added a second round of 70 to his opening 67 at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam to finish seven under par and a shot ahead of Australia’s Andrew Dodt, with South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen a stroke further back.

The 35-year-old reached as high as 21st in the world in 2011, but was ranked 703rd when he won the Rocco Forte Open in Sicily last year. That lifted Quiros to 237th in the rankings, but he has made just three halfway cuts since and began the week in Rabat at 435th in the standings.

Dodt was two over par after seven holes, but birdied the eighth, ninth and 11th, eagled the 12th and picked up another shot on the 14th in an eventful 68.

Edoardo Molinari and the man he beat in last year’s play-off, Paul Dunne, both missed the cut on five over, with Dunne carding 76 despite an ace on 17.

Top Scot is Marc Warren whose second-round 71 left him on level par, seven off the lead. Two shots further back are Connor Syme and Richie Ramsay who have both shot backto-back 73s.

Scott Jamieson (73), Stephen Gallacher (80), Paul Lawrie (75), Grant Forrest (77), Bradley Neil (79) and David Drysdale (78) all missed the cut.

In the Ladies European Tour event in Morocco, Austria’s Christine Wolf and Germany’s Laura Fuenfstueck claimed a share of the halfway lead in the Lalla Meryem Cup. Wolf’s 69 took her alongside Fuenfstueck on three under and was the only sub-70 round of the day.

Grantown-on-spey’s Hannah Mccook is the first-round leader at the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship. Mccook’s five-underpar 67 at Troon Portland gave her a two-stroke lead over Aboyne’s Shannon Mcwilliam and Linn Grant of Sweden who are tied for second place in the 54-hole strokeplay event.