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Flying Italian Tadini takes early lead at Egyptian Open presented by SODIC
Although the 36 year-old from Borgomanero dropped a shot on the par five second, eight birdies were enough to give him a two-shot early lead over Scotland’s George Murray, Floris de Vries of Holland and Swiss pro Julien Clement on 67 (-5).
“I played very well today and my putting was fantastic,” said Tadini, who currently sits in 23rd place in the Challenge Tour rankings. “The conditions were perfect with little wind and a course that is in great condition – I would say it is definitely one of the top ten courses we have played this year on the Challenge Tour.”
Already a winner this year at the 2010 Credit Suisse Challenge in Switzerland, Tadini is in search of his fourth Challenge Tour title and, more importantly, a place on next year’s full European Tour.
“If the conditions stay like this, then I can see a score of fifteen to eighteen under par winning the tournament,” he added. “But if the wind picks up as it can on this course then it will be difficult to shoot lower than 65.”
Also enjoying a good day on the 7,108-yard resort course were Murray, De Vries and Clement with only one bogey between them on a day when the benign conditions were a bonus for the early starters.
Hot favourite and world number nine Rory McIlroy found the going slightly tougher and appeared to be struggling until a storming finish of three straight birdies saw him end the day with a one under par 71 and share of 21st place six shots off the leader.
“The first nine holes were probably the worst nine I’ve played all year,” said the 21 year-old. “I spent two hours on the range working on some swing changes I’ve been trying to make but I didn’t quite trust it on the course. However, I stuck with it on the back nine, played a bit better and made three nice birdies to finish which was great. I’m happy to shoot one under as it could have been worse.
“I still feel that I can go out early tomorrow morning, carry on the way I finished today, make a few birdies and get right back in it.”
For promising UAE national Ahmed Al Musharrekh, a brilliant start turned into a disappointing round as he followed up an opening birdie three with five dropped shots over three holes.
The 20 year-old – who qualified for the tournament thanks to finishing fourth in the Egyptian Amateur Open – managed to pick up two more birdies but ended the round with a frustrating five over par 77 to lie in 103rd place in the 114-man field and will now need to produce a sublime second round if he is to have any chance of making the cut.
As well as attracting McIlroy and an international field, the Egyptian Open 2010 presented by SODIC also enjoys support from the Egyptian Tourist Authority, Mercedes, Egypt Air, JW Marriott, Mirage City Golf Club, Julius Bär Advisory SAE, Dell, Drexel, Club Car, Hydroturf, Toro, Microsoft, Global Brands, Toshiba, Heineken, Coca Cola, Dockland, Titleist and ECCO.
Leading scores after round one
Other scores:
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Cairo (EGYPT): Italian Alessandro Tadini took an early lead in the opening round of the Egyptian Open presented by SODIC yesterday (Wednesday) thanks to a storming round of seven-under par 65 and a new course record at the JW Marriott, Mirage City Golf Club.