Moroccan Open
Golf Royal D'Agadir
Agadir, Morocco
12th - 15th March 1998

Par 72 Prize Money £350,000

Second Round Report

Second Round Scores
First Round Report
First Round Scores

Smyth's bunker trouble hands lead to Leaney

Agadir, Morocco, 14th March 1998 - Des Smyth returned to the Agadir course on Saturday morning to bogey the only hole he had left of his Moroccan Open second round to hand Australian Stephen Leaney the lead.

Irishman Smyth bunkered himself twice on the 18th to drop back to eight-under-par 136 with a 72 and a share of second place with England's Mark Davis.

Leaney's 67 for 135 had been completed the previous evening while Davis had played 30 holes on Friday, finishing a round of 71 interrupted by stoppages the day before for high winds and sand on greens and then turning round to shoot 65 for 136.

Germany's Thomas Goegele had already posted 67 for 137. That earned him fourth place on his own because fellow countryman Alex Cejka also returned to the course in the morning to drop a stroke in the three holes he had left to play.

Cejka made two bogeys and a birdie to card 70 for 138 to hold fifth place.

The adverse conditions of Thursday left only 19 players under par to begin the third round. The cut came at 150, six over par.

"It was a real bonus to finish," said Leaney, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Tuesday when he flew in from Sydney to play this event. "I really didn't want to come back and play the odd hole tomorrow.

"It was a bonus not to have to get up early, too, to play a first round, because I'm still jetlagged after flying in from Sydney.

"We also got the best of the weather conditions because I was out early for my first round before the gales got at the course and today was just perfect."

Smyth acknowledged he had not taken advantage of the good conditions. "I played really scrappy," said the former Ryder Cup international. "I should have been better than one-under. I'd liked to have finished 18 but it was far too dark."

The Golf Royal D'Agadir course measures 6086 metres and has a par 72. First prize is £58,330.