Antoine Rozner fired a seven-under 65 to lead after the first round of China’s Hainan Open on the European Challenge Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

A BOGEY on the final hole denied Antoine Rozner a blemish-free opening round at the European Challenge Tour’s Hainan Open, in China.

But the Frenchman will nevertheless take a commanding two-stroke lead into day two after carding a seven-under par round of 65.

Rozner, who has won twice on the Road to Mallorca this season, made five birdies prior to the turn after starting his quest for a third victory of 2019 on the 10th tee at Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club.

Three more gains and that single bogey arrived on the back nine as the rest of the field were able to match one of the tournament’s early starters.

Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan posted a bogey-free 67 to sit in second place, while Frenchman Damien Perrier, Denmark’s Benjamin Poke and late-finisher Josh Geary, from New Zealand were a stroke further back on four-under after opening rounds of 68.

Rozner – winner of the Open de España and Prague Golf Challenge and looking for a third win that would guarantee automatic promotion to the Europrean Tour – acknowledged the quality of his play in China.

But he also admitted to getting a bit of luck along the way. “It was great,” said Rozner, who lies second in the Road to Mallorca rankings, needing a place in the top 15 to earn his full European Tour card for 2020.

“It was just one of those days where I hit a lot of good shots, a lot of good putts and made very few mistakes.

“When I did have a mistake, I got a good bounce and saved par. I got some good reads and it was one of those days where everything just went right.

“I played great and I think if I can keep playing like this for the next three days, I should be in pretty good shape ” added Rozner.

The 26-year-old’s undoubted highlight was a tricky downhill birdie putt from 25 feet on the fourth hole, which he was delighted to convert for a superb up-and-down from the bunker.

“I hit a good drive into the reachable par four and I was in the bunker with an uphill lie,” said Rozner. “It was quite a long bunker shot, so it wasn’t easy and I left it short.

“The putt was really, really fast and I was just looking to put it around the hole, to be honest. It ended up going in, so it was definitely the highlight of the day.”

With temperatures peaking at 33 degrees Celsius in Hainan, Rozner is keeping a keen focus on maintaining his energy levels ahead of the second round.

“I’m not going to waste much energy on the range,” he said. “It’s quite exhausting out there because the wind is swirling and it’s very hot.

“Saving energy is going to be key this week so I’ve got to be careful by staying hydrated and getting some good night’s sleep.”

Kiwi Geary came closest to matching Rozner’s total but two bogeys in his final three holes dropped him back into a tie for third.

That left him one shot clear of eight players on three-under including Zhang Jin and Xiao Bowen, who are currently the leading Chinese players.

The second round will begin at 7.10am local time, with Rozner due on the tee at 12.10pm.

•For live scoring in the Hainan Open click here.

The post Red-hot Rozner in front as Frenchman seeks automatic promotion at Hainan Open appeared first on Golf North.

Welshman Rhys Enoch made his breakthrough win on the European Challenge Tour with victory in the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge, just six weeks before the 31-year-old is due to become a father for the first time. Picture by OTA MRAKOTA

RHYS Enoch ended his long wait for a European Challenge Tour title at the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge after posting a four-under par 68 on the final day at Penati Golf Resort.

The Welshman carded four consecutive sub-70 rounds to post an 18-under total and secure a one-shot victory over New Zealand’s Josh Geary, who propelled himself into contention on day four with a six-under 66.

The win caps an unforgettable few weeks for the 31-year-old, who showcased his potential to perform on the biggest stage with a spectacular 66 in the second round of the US Open at Pebble Beach last month.

The emotional victory comes just six weeks before the birth of his first child – and just over 10 years since the tragic death of his younger brother who had been tipped for top in golf as a teenager.

Enoch started the day two shots behind overnight leader Darius van Driel but soon took control with four birdies over the opening nine holes and despite bad weather forcing a short delay late in his round, he held on to secure his first Challenge Tour title.

‘’This has been a long time coming,’’ he said. ‘’There are so many emotions right now. I’m obviously just so happy, relieved and just excited about what this can mean going forward.

“To put yourself in these positions and not get it done, you wonder if you’re ever going to get over the finish line, but it just feels so great to have finally got the win.

‘’Everyone at home is behind me and wants me to see me do well, so it is exciting for me – but also for all my family.

“If you’d have told me at the start of June what the next month or so would bring, I would have been absolutely over the moon with that.

“I’ve got a baby boy being born in six weeks, so life is about to change and I’m going to need to balance my golf and travel.

“But I’m just really excited for what the future can bring,” said Enoch, who was playing on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour last year.

In 2009, Rhys’ younger brother Ben was killed in a car crash while on his way to take part in the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham. Both brothers were in the Walker Cup squad to face the USA that year at Merion.

When Rhys qualified for The Open at Carnoustie last year, he paid tribute to Ben after making the cut in his second attempt, having also qualified at Hoylake in 2014.

Rhys, who has Ben’s nickname ‘Been’ tattoed on his chest, said after playing his third round with Masters champion Patrick Reed: “Today was my reward for persistence.

“With everything that has happened in my life, when you come to an occasion like this then the memories and thoughts do creep in and come back to you. But this is what I’ve worked for since I was 12 so this is all about hard work.”

In Slovakia, overnight leader van Driel opened with two consecutive birdies but was unable to replicate the form that had seen him occupy top spot over each of the first three rounds.

He eventually signed for a four-over par round of 76 to finish in a tie for eighth.

Frenchman Antoine Rozner continues to top the Challenge Tour rankings despite missing the cut in Slovakia, with Enoch moving up 61 places into seventh position.

The Challenge Tour now visits France for the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge from July 11-14.

The post Enoch wouldn’t be overtaken as Geary took route 66 to finally end the heartache appeared first on Golf North.