Callum Shinkwin carded a course-record equalling ten under par 62 to take a two stroke lead after Day One at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
Starting his day on the back nine, the Englishman, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, began his round with three consecutive pars before birdieing ten of his next 11 holes at Al Hamra Golf Club.
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His run of eight birdies in a row was one shy of equalling the DP World Tour’s record, and he also threatened an historic 59 as he reached ten under par with four holes to play. The 30-year-old played his final four holes in level par, recovering from a bogey at the seventh hole with his 11th birdie of the day at the eighth to set the pace at ten under.
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Shinkwin’s compatriot Richard Mansell made a fast start as he covered his front nine in just 29 strokes with three birdies and two eagles, including a hole-out from a bunker on the 18th, his ninth hole.
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He carded birdies on the third, fifth and seventh holes to join Shinkwin on ten under par before a double bogey on the eighth saw him settle for second place after the first round.
South Africa’s Brandon Stone, who earned a return to the DP World Tour for this season after finishing 19th on the Challenge Tour’s 2023 Road to Mallorca Rankings, joined Mansell in a share of second as he carded seven birdies and an eagle in his eight under par round of 64.
In fourth place, one stroke behind on seven under par, are Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal, Frenchman Frederic Lacroix and Germany’s Freddy Schott.
Player Quotes
Callum Shinkwin: “I was a bit gutted about seven, it’s not always easy to get a 59 on a par 72. I just kept going, making birdie after birdie and didn’t think about 59, to be fair.
“Still, you’ve got to try and birdie nine, which is never an easy hole to birdie. (On seven) it was quite an easy tee shot with no wind, but a little bit of wind, I just had to fiddle one in there. I was just playing like I always do.
“I leave the cold weather at home and come here to the nice warm sun, it’s a big difference. I like Dubai and the Middle East. It’s always nice at this time of the year, it’s like our summertime. I guess that’s why.”
Richard Mansell: “I played brilliant today. I had one bad hole. The stuff I’m working on, I’m going to choose to focus on the good stuff because there was a lot of that today. The areas of my game that I’ve worked really hard at the past couple of months are starting to show for me. It’s nice to shoot a low round. Obviously, you get to a downwind par five, you’re ten under par with two to play and you do that, it’s frustrating. But overall a good start.”
Brandon Stone: “It was fantastic to finish the way I did. I felt like I’d been playing great leading into the event, so I was looking forward to today, which was a new feeling. I was really excited to get going, felt like my game was in a great place and I’m happy that that translated into a good score today.
“The Challenge Tour is just that, it’s a challenge. It was tough, but at the same time I’m very appreciative for the experience I got there. Being back is fantastic, seeing all the same guys again on the range is great, the facilities, the entire tournament itself, grandstands, TV. It is special. Without swearing too much, it’s just so good to be back.”
