Al Ain: England’s Zane Scotland will need another strong finish in the penultimate round of the nine-stage Mena Golf Tour this week if he is to catch compatriot runaway leader Luke Joy.
Scotland, 32, won his first event of the season and recorded his second podium of the year after a third place finish in round five of the series, with victory at the Ghala Valley Open in Oman, last week.
With this victory, Scotland leapfrogged his way into second position in the overall professional Order of Merit standings behind Joy, who won rounds three and five and finished second in round four of the series this season.
However, the 2013 order of merit winner will need to follow up with another strong finish, if not a victory, at the Golf Citizen Masters at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club this week — starting on Monday — if he is to overtake Joy and retain his title.
Scotland will take confidence from shooting a course record 63 here on the final round of the Mena Tour Championship in 2012.
“The course has plenty of scoring opportunities,” said Scotland, now a seven-time winner on Tour. “It’s the kind of layout you can pile up birdies if you’re on your game.”
Elsewhere, England’s James Allen holds onto his position at the top of the amateur order of merit after finishing second in Oman, despite respective second and third-placed James Yeomans of England and Scotland’s Daniel Kay, sharing victory in the sultanate.
Yeomans and Kay will continue to put Allen, who also won rounds one and four and finished second in round three, under pressure.
Meanwhile, just over $1,000 (Dh3,672) separates Moroccans Faycal Serghini and Ahmad Marjane in the top Arab category. Marjane became the first Arab golfer to win an event in the tour’s three year history after his victory in round six of the series. But Serghini has been more consistent with respective second and third place finishes in rounds one and seven.
