Ex soccer player leads first round

Former Paraguayan soccer player Pedro Martinez netted an eagle and six birdies on Thursday to set an eight-under-par course record 64 to lead the first round of the Moroccan Open by a stroke.

Martinez, earning his place at Marrakesh with his tied third place in the previous European Tour event, the Brazil Sao Paulo 500 Years Open three weeks ago, set up a chance of a card for next season in one fell swoop as he led Swede Fredrik Jacobson.

Jacobson's 65 included a hole-in-one at the 181-yard fourth, which he completed with a seven-iron which kept the Swede one ahead of of a large group which included the exciting 19-year-old amateur Adam Scott.

It was Martinez who produced the sharpest shooting, though, following up his good week in Brazil with a 60-foot putt eagle and rounding off his six birdies with a five-iron to 10 feet for a two on his penultimate hole to keep out Jacobson.

"I will be trying to make my card at the European qualifying school at the end of this year, but it would be nice to make it in one go this week by winning," said the 36-year-old, one of 12 children and a former player for Paraguay premier division Libertad.

After suffering a bad knee injury eight years ago, the ex-caddy took up golf and has won 24 titles in South America, winning the South American order of merit in 1994 and 1996, the year he first tried to qualify for Europe but missed his card by two strokes.

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