Poulter a shot behind Maire

Ian Poulter shot a three-under-par 69 on the opening day of the Ivory Coast Open in Abidjan to grab second spot, a shot behind French pacesetter Olivier Maire.

In third spot on 70 was another Frenchman, Laurent Lassalle, while among those on 71 were Simon Hurd from Leeds, Essex-based David R Jones, Scott Watson from Hampshire, and Welshman David Park.

Park is seeking back-to-back victories after winning the previous Challenge Tour event, the Oki Telepizza Challenge in Spain three weeks ago, while Dutchman Maarten Lafeber, who won the opening tournament in Kenya last month, also shot 71.

Scotsman Billy McColl, a former Ivory Coast champion, now 42, returned a level-par 72 on what was a humid and difficult day for scoring.