Oliver Farr shot a superb 63 to win the Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour at Morocco’s Royal Dar Es Salam Golf Club – the third win of his career. Picture by EUROPEAN TOUR

OLIVER Farr carded a scintillating nine-under par 63 in the final round to produce a stunning comeback and win his third European Challenge Tour title at Morocco’s Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour.

The Welshman started the day four shots behind overnight leaders Jack Senior and Joel Sjöholm.

But Farr soon charged up the leaderboard with three consecutive birdies from the third hole, picking up two further shots on the seventh and eighth to reach the turn in just 31 strokes.

Looking to secure his first victory since the 2017 Foshan Open, the 31-year-old kept his foot firmly on the pedal, posting four further birdies over his back nine, including on the 18^th, to finish on 15 under.

That ensured he recorded a three-shot victory over Lancastrian Senior, who finished in second place at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.

It was an emotional win for Farr, who has played only 11 Challenge Tour events this season after a busy and difficult year away from the course.

As well as missing events to support his wife after the birth of their second child earlier in the year, he lost his grandmother as well as suffering a death on his partner’s side of the family.

All of which forced him to miss tournaments as he fought to regain his full Euorpean Tour playing privileges after losing his card in 2018.

“It’s been a hard year for me and my family, so to get this win is extra special not just for me but for everyone back home,” said Farr.

“If I’m honest, I didn’t really think about winning when I went to bed last night, so to come back on top today was brilliant,” added Farr, who is attached to Hereford’s Burghill Valley GC.

“To shoot nine-under par on any course is amazing. I left myself in some tricky places today, but my putter felt really good and I holed a couple of really nice ones along the way as well which always helps.

“It is my third victory now on the Challenge Tour and it’s always great to win no matter where you are on the rankings.

“I’ve only got three events left now so I’ve still got to play great and hopefully I can continue this form until the end of the season.

“I always feel like I can win tournaments but as the year goes on you start to question whether you can, so to get this win just feels great,” added Farr, who first played the game as a seven-year-old at Kidderminster’s Cleobury Golf Club, and played for Shropshire and Herefordshire as a junior.

With his win, Farr moves from 37th to 13th on the Road to Mallorca rankings as he eyes his third promotion onto the European Tour, following successful Challenge Tour campaigns in 2014 and 2017.

Senior settled for second place after a closing two-under 70, but it cemented his place in the all-important top 15 in the Road to Mallorca rankings.

The winner of the ISPS Handa World Invitational tournament in Northern Ireland, in August, moved up seven spots into fourth position.

The 2011 Walker Cup player finished one shot clear of 20-year-old Dane Oliver Hundebøll, who finished on 11-under after a stunning six-under 66 on Sunday to record the best result of his young career.

For full results from Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour click here.

•The Challenge Tour now heads back to Europe for the Stone Irish Challenge from October 10-13, which marks the first of the final four events on the 2019 Road to Mallorca, in November, with a trip to China in between.

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Welshman Rhys Davies is back in action on the European Challenge Tour in Morocco, after almost a year out spending time with his baby son. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

RHYS Davies is set to make his European Challenge Tour return at this week’s Lalla Aïcha Challenge Tour almost a year after stepping away from the game to spend more time with his young family.

The Welshman will return to action at the scene of his 2010 European Tour triumph, Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco, where he captured the Trophée Hassan II title in spectacular fashion.

Seven years ago he closed with a seven-under par 66 to claim a two-shot victory over South African Louis Oosthuizen, who went on to claim the Claret Jug in The Open, at St Andrews that summer.

Four-time Challenge Tour winner Davies, who rose to 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking in his maiden season on the European Tour, returns to action for the first time since last November with a new mindset after a year spent enjoying time with his 16-month-old son.

“I needed a break,” said Davies. “Golf wise I was a little bit frazzled but also, I’ve got a young son at home, who I’ve really enjoyed spending time with over the last year or so – helping out as much as I can and just being a part of his early life.

“I’ve found it incredibly refreshing and I’ve just been really happy to spend that precious time with him,” added Davies, who was invited to be part of Colin Montgomerie’s backroom team at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, as a rising star of European golf.

Rhys added: “I’ve played a couple of competition rounds at my golf club and played a small tournament a few weeks back where my golf was certainly quite mixed.

“It’s obviously going to be a very different challenge this week. It’s a strong golf course and it might take a while to get back into that slightly different and pressured environment.

“It’s going to be more intense than what I’ve been used to as of late but I’m looking forward to that challenge.

“I really don’t know what is going to happen, but I know I’m ready now to give it my best and to go out there and see how low I can go.”

Renowned for his exceptional short game, Davies was once described by Luke Donald as the “best putter in the world.”

He has twice graduated from the Challenge Tour, most recently in 2015.

However, it is in Morocco where he has achieved his best results, finishing runner-up at the Trophée Hassan II in 2011 – a year after winning in Rabat.

The Challenge Tour returns to Morocco this week for the first time in almost a decade, with the tournament coming at a pivotal time on the Road to Mallorca, with just four events remaining before the season-ending Challenge Tour Grand Final.

While Davies triumphed on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, which plays annual host to the European Tour, the Challenge Tour players will be faced with a new challenge this week when they tackle the equally testing Blue Course.

Davies will begin his first round at 8.20am local time alongside Austrian Martin Wiegele and England’s Paul Maddy, with day one getting under way in Rabat at 8am.

For live scores click here.

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Meghan MacLaren is hoping to improve on her record in the Lalla Meryem Cup at Moroccos Royal Golf Dar Es Salam this week. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

MEGHAN MacLaren is looking to build on her recent strong performances in Australia and Jordan as she sets her sights firmly on the Lalla Meryem Cup this week.

A victory in the Moroccan capital of Rabat would see her take the lead in the race to be crowned European No. 1 and leapfrog Charley Hull and Carlota Ciganda into second place on the European Solheim Cup points list, boosting her chances of a debut appearance for Team Europe at Gleneagles in September.

The 24-year-old from Northamptonshire tied for 25th and 30th in the last two editions of the Lalla Meryem Cup respectively and is determined to do better this time round over the newly renovated Blue Course.

Having won the Access Series Order of Merit in 2017, she feels that winning the LET Order of Merit is now a realistic goal arriving at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in second position on the money list after her victory in the Women’s New South Wales Open and runner-up finish in the Jordan Mixed Open.

Meghan said: “I’ll always be aiming for the top. Everything I do is about being the best I can be, and I think I get my best results when I’m completely focused on that.

“I had that approach in 2017 and it’s something I wanted to go back to coming into this year, without getting distracted by outcome goals or trying too hard.

“As long as I focus on the little things that make up my game and always recognise what’s going well and what I can improve, I think I can continue progressing in my own way. I do think consistency is one of the most underrated things in golf and winning Order of Merits is probably the best representation of that.”

The runner-up in the Jordan Mixed Open, where she took on the best of the European Challenge and Seniors tours,  added: “I’m really happy with where my game is right now.

“I think the consistency of my scores and results shows that there isn’t too much going wrong, and I feel much better equipped to manage both my swing when I’m competing and also my game on the course even if it doesn’t feel perfect. I’m hitting a lot more greens than I was last year which has been key to bringing my scoring down.

“This will be my third time at this course, so I’ve got a good sense for the things that will be important. It’s a much more strategic course than most, which I really like.

“It’s so important to keep the ball on the fairway, so feeling comfortable with my shot shape off the tee has been a big one. My driving was great in Jordan so if I can keep that going it’ll be a massive help. I’ve done quite a bit of practice with my pitching as well because you have wedge in your hands quite a bit round here.”

MacLaren is expecting a big challenge from some of the other players in the field, such as the 2018 and 2016 champions, Jenny Haglund and Nuria Iturrios, as well as recent tournament winners Marianne Skarpnord and Diksha Dagar.

The Lalla Meryem Cup and the Hassan II Golf Trophy, a men’s European Tour event, are co-located at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam and the two tournaments are being played over the Blue and Red Courses respectively for the fourth consecutive year, which means the players share a lounge and practise facilities.

MacLaren said: “It’s a really cool experience. Even in the few years I’ve played this event, it’s grown and strengthened massively – they’ve really put a lot of thought and investment into the facilities and tournament as a whole – which is reflected in the players that turn up.

“Anytime the men and women are in the same environment it creates a different kind of buzz for the players, because I think there’s a lot of mutual respect and also enjoyment that we’re all connected by creating a living through the game of golf. It’s definitely one to which we all look forward.

“It’s another great platform for the game of golf as a whole, I think. The more opportunities there are for women’s golf to raise its profile, the more I think investment and interest in it will grow, as people begin to see the skill and character on display every week.

“The Jordan Mixed Open was obviously different in its innovation – the first time men and women have competed for the same tournament in the professional game is bound to draw interest, and I think the success of that event will encourage more events like it.

“I’ll be honest, 72-hole strokeplay events will always be my favourite! I think they are the best reflection of what golf is all about: the skill, patience and grit required to come out on top is such a huge demand, and an addictive one.

“But I would like to see more events that bring men and women together, because I think it’s incredibly engaging to the wider golfing public.

“The Jordan event showed that coming down the stretch it doesn’t matter what the person looks like, at the end of the day, it’s one person’s golf against another person’s golf. Golf as a sport is so unique in that sense, so I’d love to see it taken advantage of more.”

And she knows that more performances like her second win in Australia, and competing against the men, will do her Solheim Cup ambitions no harm.

Her performance earlier this month caught the eye of European captain, Catriona Matthew, who sent her a text message after the final round in Jordan.

Meghan, who has had three three top 10s in six starts this season, revealed recently: “Just the fact I got a text from her is pretty inspiring really. It’s obviously nice to know I’m on the radar and it will only make me work harder over the next few months.”

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