RIYADH: Kingdom No. 1 Othman Almulla delivered on his promise, shooting a 2-over 74 to take the lead after the first round of the 2009 Saudi Oger Amateur Golf Championship at Dirab Golf & Country Club on Thursday.
Almulla carded nines of 36-38 at the vanguard of a Saudi charge in this prestigious event which is effectively the Kingdom’s national championship.
Almulla closed with birdies on each of the two nines, draining a four-footer on No. 9 and another from eight feet on the 18th. He also birdied the eighth hole but rued missed birdie chances when the ball lipped out on the third and stopped on the edge on the next hole.
Still, Othman liked his chances for Friday’s final round as he put himself in position for the crown ahead of his title defense in a few weeks’ time in the Saudi Aramco Invitational Golf Tournament, the oldest championship in the Kingdom which takes place Nov. 11-13 at Rolling Hills Golf Club.
“I hope to be in the lead not on the first day only but at the end of the tournament as well,” said Almulla who had five bogeys on the day.
Swedish 6-handicap golfer Robert Ruth was 1-under 35 behind three birdies against a double bogey to emerge the surprise leader after nine holes but then faltered coming home for a 40 that gave him a 75, one stroke out of the lead.
Filipino bet Eric Liquigan shot a 76 in relatively calm conditions to be in a tie with Korean M. S. Kim.
Khaled Attieh, the former Saudi junior No. 1 and the most exciting to come out since Almulla in the late 90s, managed to be in the mix despite four three putts in a round of 77 in a deadlock with veteran Kingdom golfer Mubarak Al Ghamdi and Bahraini ace Nasser Yaqoub who complained about the difficult pin placements but was all praise for the greens.
The 14-year old Attieh, whose father Waleed, a big golf fan, affectionately calls him “Big and Easy”, a play on Ernie Els’ monicker “Big Easy”, had a near eagle on the par-4 17 when the ball rested just half a roll into the hole.
But the day ended not without some drama after Swedish lady golfer Anne Bjornstad, among those in the group with a late tee time, hit a hole- in-one on par-3 No. 4. Expectedly, the accomplished Bjornstad grabbed the lead in the ladies division with a 3-under net score of 69.
Promising Saudi junior golfer Abdullah Hussain, a long hitter, was alone on 78, four strokes off the pace with Bahraini Khalid Salem on 79. Ronny Lidman and Kamran Khan tied on 81 followed by a big group on 82 which includes Saudi national players Ali Balharith and Fahad Al Mansour, Lee Williams and Bahraini Sultan Abdullah.
The top 80 players made the cut based on their gross scores with the remaining 35 to play in the plate competition at Friday’s final round of the 36-hole tournament. Saudi Oger Ltd. is the major and title sponsor. Royal Air Maroc, Raddison Blu and Almarai Company are tournament sponsors.
