Australia’s Andrew Dodt needed just 21 putts in testing conditions to claim the lead after the first round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Thursday.
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Two-time European Tour victor Dodt needed only 21 putts in an assured start on the idyllic island, fewer than he has taken in 391 career rounds. It came out a little harder than I would’ve liked but luckily it hit the hole dead centre.
Dodt fired one eagle and six birdies against two bogeys to take his place atop the leaderboard while India’s Rashid Khan and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh shared second place at the €1 million (approximately US$1.09 million) event. I lost my concentration on the next hole, though, which sometimes it happens when you make a birdie. “I’ve always been a pretty good wind player, so I feel really comfortable in these conditions”, the 30-year-old Australian added.
The Australian missed the cut when he attempted to defend his Thailand Classic title in March and has not played on the European Tour since, but a break has clearly done him good.
“This course can bite you at any stage, so there’s a long way to go and a lot of golf to be played”. I dropped another shot on the 16th and got it back on the last, so overall I’m very happy.
Five times in his last eight rounds Hend has been in the 60s and as one of the highest ranked players in the field he will be expecting more success.
Colsaerts heads into the weekend four adrift of Dodt, who added an erratic 70 to his opening 66 to go three clear of last week’s Trophee Hassan II champion Jeunghun Wang, who had taken the lead during the morning session.
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Wang enjoyed a purple patch on the back nine when he birdied 12 and 14 either side of an eagle, although he also carded three bogeys in his 70 which earned him outright second place. “It will be nice to give myself a chance to try and win this week”, said the 20-year-old Korean.
