Round-up: Power struggles; Italy rained out; Dodt leads
Seamus Power
Web.com Tour — Seamus Power didn’t make a birdie as he opened his first event as a winner with a two over 74 in the Rex Hospital Open in North Carolina
The 29-year old West Waterford golfer, a maiden winner two weeks ago in Indiana, hit 14 greens but had 34 putts in a two-bogey, 16-par round at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh.
He’s tied for 106th place, 10 shots behind leader JJ Spaun, whose 63 gave him a one stroke lead over Ryan Yip and Chris Wilson.
Flooding at Golf della Montecchia near Padua
Rained off in Italy
Challenge Tour — Ireland’s six-strong posse was left waiting in vain as the first day of the Montecchia Open by Lyoness was called off after heavy overnight rain flooded Golf della Montecchia, making the course unplayable.
Though staff worked all day to prepare the course, at 14.00 local time the decision was made to reduce the event to 54 holes, with a cut after two rounds and a Monday finish if required.
Alain de Soultrait, Challenge Tour Director, explained that, given the prize money and Road to Oman Rankings points available at the tournament, this was the best way to ensure a fair competition.
He said: “We still have a couple of fairways under water, on hole number one and hole number four, and we have many bunkers that have not been pumped out completely.
“Considering the level of this tournament, with €250,000 available, it seems unfair to send any player out today so we have decided to cancel today’s first round.
“The tournament will now be played over 54 holes and, if necessary, we will finish these 54 holes on Monday, but only if necessary.”
Irish golf is represented in Italy by Gary Hurley, Gavin Moynihan, Ruaidhri McGee, Kevin Phelan, Cormac Sharvin and Chris Selfridge.
Andrew Dodt. Picture: Getty Images
Dodt leads the way in Mauritius
European Tour — Australian Andrew Dodt made light work of testing conditions in the first round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to lead by two shots after a six under par 66.
The 30 year old posted an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys at a windy Four Seasons Golf Club Anahita to finish the day top of the pile, with India’s Rashid Khan and Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman in second place on four under.
Dodt, a two-time European Tour winner who has had an indifferent 2016 so far, making two cuts from six appearances, chipped in for birdie on his first hole – the tenth – and finished by picking up two shots in the last three to surge ahead.
Defending champion George Coetzee opened with a one under par 71, while last week’s winner in Morocco, Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, continued in the same vein with a three under par 69 to lie tied fourth alongside Argentine Estanislao Goya.
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is the only tournament tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Sunshine Tours, and has a prize fund of €1million.
