Peter Lawrie starts strongly in Morocco
Thursday, 18 March 2010Breaking his driver on the eve of the event did not hold Ireland's Peter Lawrie back at the Hassan Trophy in Morocco today.
Lawrie carded a six under par 67 to lie one shot behind leader Nick Dougherty after the first round in Rabat.
'The head of the driver came loose during practice. I have a spare, but I'm just not 100% confident with it,' said the former Rookie of the Year, whose only European Tour win came in the 2008 Spanish Open.
'The three-wood's going well, but the Red is long and the driver will have to come out somewhere.'
The 104-strong field switch courses tomorrow as the pro-am format continues before the top 65 professionals go through to the closing 36 holes on the Red.
Lawrie is partnering his father-in-law and added: 'That's the most nervous I've been. I had to up my game to make sure I did okay and we did okay.'
The 35-year-old was only two under with eight to play, but eagled the long second and birdied three of his last four holes.
Fellow Dubliner Paul McGinley, playing his first tournament since a sixth knee operation in November, managed only a three over 76 on the Red, while Darren Clarke fared much better, lying on three under par - four behind Dougherty.
Other Irish contenders had mixed fortune: Gareth Maybin (-1) fared better than Shane Lowry (+1), Damien McGrane (+2) and Michael Hoey (+6).
