Robert Moran has finished in the top two in three of his four Alps Tour starts in 2026, but the Castle man will have to produce a special final round if he’s to make it four from five.
After a relatively low-scoring opening round at Dreamland Golf Club in Cairo, Moran’s opening two-under round of 70 left him in a nine-way tie for 14th, and he made a big move early in round two as he opened with a birdie on the par-4 first and then followed with eagle on the par-5 second.
His momentum stalled, however, and bogeys on four and six got him to the turn at -1 for the day, and he fell back to level-par after he bogeyed the 12th. He regrouped to cover the final six holes in two-under thanks to birdies on 13 and 16, but slipped two places down the leaderboard into a share of 16th and dropped nine shots behind the leader, Maxime Legros of France, who enjoys a four-stroke advantage over fellow countryman Alexis Leray.
Moran entered the week ranked number two in the Alps Tour Order of Merit rankings, so he knows that every shot and each subsequent ranking point could be crucial as he continues in search of one of the five HotelPlanner Tour cards on offer at the end of the season.
Hugh Foley also matched his opening round tally, carding three birdies and two bogeys in a one-under 71 that was just enough to see final-round action as the cut fell at -2.
Sam Murphy, who opened the campaign with victory in his first professional start, and Cathal Mac Canna both missed the cut, but will remain in the Egyptian capital and turn their attentions to the Allegria Open which begins on Friday.
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