Paul McBride and Alex Maguire are very much in the hunt going into the final round of the MENA Tour’s Hilton Classic at Al Houara Golf Club in Tangier, Morocco after torrential rain wreaked havoc on the late starters.
Maguire, having opened with a four-under-par 68, played through the worst of the conditions in the afternoon wave, and found the going particularly tough on the front nine where, having traded a bogey on the par-3 third with a birdie on the par-5 fourth, he made a triple-bogey-seven on the sixth and then followed with another dropped shot on seven to slip well down the leaderboard.
He regained his composure to birdie the eighth, then added two more back-to-back on 10 and 11, and when he rolled in another birdie putt on the par-5 15th, he was back to within a shot of the lead.
A disappointing finish saw him drop shots on 16 and 18, but, after four top-10 finishes and a T12 in his five MENA Tour starts this year, he’ll feel that he’s got the capability to reel in the leaders despite the three-stroke deficit.
McBride got the easier of the conditions on day two, but as the afternoon starters had it tougher on day one, he’ll feel justified as he carded a three-under-par 69 to make a big move up the leaderboard where he was later joined by Maguire in a share of seventh place.
The only blemish on the island man’s card came on the par-5 ninth, but he’d already birdied the par-4 first and sixth holes at that stage, and he added further birdies on 12 and 14 to complete the round.
Mark Power, having finished tied for second at the same venue last week, followed his three-over opening round with a three-under on day two to move into a share of 12th place at level-par. The highlight of the Kilkenny man’s round came on the par-5 10th and par-4 11th where an eagle-three was followed by a birdie as he covered the two holes in three-under.
Marc Boucher completes the Irish interest, but after carding a one-under 71 in round one, he went the wrong way with a three-over 75 and lies tied for 20th going into the final round.
The man they all have to catch is France’s Pierre Pineau who holds a one-shot lead after battling to a two-under-par 70.
Pineau, who began the day on three under par, made four birdies against two bogeys to move to five-under overall and head a congested leaderboard by a single shot. He navigated the morning conditions well enough, reaching the turn one under for his round, before digging deep on the back nine as the weather deteriorated sharply.
“On the back nine I just fought as hard as I could,” Pineau said. “The rain was not so much about distance – it was more about the ball sliding on the face on chips and wedges. I have played in tough, changing weather before so I felt comfortable adapting.”
“It would mean a lot to win because I have struggled over the last 12 months, so it would be a big boost of confidence,” he added. “After today my confidence is in a good place.”
England’s Curtis Knipes, Aadam Syed of Pakistan, and Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa share second at -4, with a further two players tied for fifth at -3.
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