Miguel Tabuena made four bogeys and one double bogey in a stretch of seven holes as he opened with a three-over-par 76 at the start of the inaugural $1.5-million International Series Morocco at Royal Golf Der Es Salam in Rabat, Morocco Thursday.
Tabuena, the only Filipino in the field, started with a birdie on the eighth hole, but threw it away with a double bogey on 10, the start of a big slide in which he bogeyed 11, 13, 14 and 16. He stopped the bleeding with a birdie on 18.
Tabuena rallied with two birdies against a bogey in the final eight holes but lagged nine shots off the pace.
American Cole Madey fired a 67, which gave him a share of the clubhouse lead with Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong.
An eagle and four birdies put Madey in control at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam with Nitithorn, ahead of Englishman Steve Lewton who carded a 68 — helped by a brilliant eagle on the par-four 13th where he holed a 127-yard wedge shot from a fairway bunker.
Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut, American Trevor Simsby, and Danny Masrin from Indonesia shot 69s while Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Zimbabwean Scott Vincent and Spanish rookie David Puig were in a group of nine players in with 70s.
Eleven players will complete their first-round Friday morning as fading evening light stopped play for the day.
