Cejka has the touch once more
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Your support makes all the difference.Alexander Cejka, of Germany, equalled the course record with a six-under-par 66 in the first round of the Moroccan Open in Agadir yesterday.
Last Sunday the 24-year-old Cejka gained his first European PGA Tour victory when he claimed the Andalucia Open title. Yesterday, despite taking pain-killers and medicine to combat water on the knee, he tamed the course owned by King Hassan with a round that included only 26 putts.
Cejka leads Sam Torrance, of Scotland, by one shot with five others, including Eamonn Darcy, of Ireland, and the Englishman Malcolm Mackenzie, on 68.
Torrance set the early pace when he birdied six holes and had only one bogey for his 67. "That's as nice as I can play," he said. "I had a long rest in the winter and it has done me the world of good."
It looked as if Torrance would lead all day, but Cejka went to the turn in a four-under-par 32 and then birdied the first and third to go to six under. He achieved pars on the last six holes but was more than satisfied. "I only had 26 putts," Cejka said, "and though my knee wasn't too bad it began to hurt when I reached the last hole."
Darcy, who had six birdies and two bogeys, almost holed in one at the 199-yard 16th - his three- iron drive finished just two inches from the hole. Mackenzie, who has been recovering from a shoulder injury, sank three huge putts in a five-birdie round.
MOROCCAN OPEN (Agadir) Leading first-round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 66 A Cejka (Ger). 67 S Torrance. 68 A Gillner (Swe), R Karlsson (Swe), E Darcy, M Mackenzie, M Besaneney (Fr). 69 P Way, A Bossert (Swit), D Carter, P Eales, I Palmer (SA), G Levenson (SA), I Pyman, V Fernandez (Arg), R Claydon, D R Jones. 70 P McGinley, M James, S Richardson, M Jonzon (Swe), G Orr, H Clark, C Ronald, J Robinson, G Brand Jnr, A Coltart. 71 R Muntz (Neth), D Williams, P Price, M Lanner (Swe), T Levet (Fr), J-L Guepy (Fr), R Burns, B Lane, P Mitchell, D Ray, P Linhart (Sp), D Gilford, J Townsend (US), R Boxall. 72 P Teravainen (US), P Quirici (Swit), P Simpson, T Johnstone (Zim), *F Illouz (Fr), G Ryall, A Lebouc (Fr), B Gallacher, J Lomas, I Spencer, J Hawksworth, C Rocca (It), B Marchbank, P Talbot, N Vanhootegem (Bel). *denotes amateur
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