Samawi leads by two at Tommy Fleetwood International Pathway Series Presented by DP World

Rami Samawi (The Els Club, Dubai) shot a first-round three under par 69 to lead the Overall Division of the Tommy Fleetwood International Pathway Series Presented by DP World at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah.

It is a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) qualifier which includes WAGR points, supported by The R&A.

Samawi, has a two-stroke lead going into round two of this 54-hole event.

Four birdies, two on each side, and a solitary bogey on hole two – was a strong performance by Samawi.

Chasing Samawi are the UAE-based players Victor Larsson (The Els Club, Dubai) and Viktor Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club).

Larsson is looking to win his second Tommy Fleetwood International Series title – having won the inaugural event last month at Jumeirah Golf Estates over the Earth course.

Leading the Female Division is Kanchana Duangsam (USA) representing the VSGA Golf Circuit in America, who shot a level par round of 72.

A mixed bag of five birdies and five bogeys sees her one shot ahead of Laetitia Fedeli (It) with UAE player Faye Alblooshi (EGF) two shots further back on 75, alongside Anayaa Sood (The Els Club, Dubai.

Sood will be looking to move up the leaderboard over the next two days, having won the Female Division of this tournament last month at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Paul Booth, General Manager at Al Hamra Golf Club, said: “It is exciting to welcome a full field of 69 players to Al Hamra Golf Club to play in this prestigious 54-hole tournament, hosted by Tommy Fleetwood.

“We have witnessed some excellent golf from so many players on the field. To have 35 players break 80 in round one is pretty impressive,” he added.

“We look forward to seeing how the juniors play over the weekend – there is still a long way to go, with 18 holes to be played on both Saturday and Sunday.”

The tournament is backed by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) as well as supported by the Emirates Golf Federation as the host sanctioning body.

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(Par 72).

Overall Division.

Samawi (The Els Club, Dubai) 69.

Kofod-Olsen (The Els Club, Dubai) 71.

Larsson (Emirates Golf Club) 71.

Duangsam (USA) 72.

Male Division

Samawi (The Els Club, Dubai) 69.

Larsson (The Els Club, Dubai) 71.

Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club) 71.

Gouri (The Els Club, Dubai) 73.

• Fleetwood to host American Junior Golf Association events in the Middle East and Europe