Brandon Stone clicked into top gear on Thursday as he fired a bogey-free six-under-par 66 to be one shot off the lead after the first round of the DP World Tour’s Ras al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club in the UAE.
Stone started his round quietly enough from the 10th hole, and made birdies on 13 and 16 as he reached the turn in two-under-par. Immediately after the turn, he picked up the first of four birdies on his homeward nine on the first. He made three more gains on the third, the seventh and the eighth, and he was joined in a share of third by Johannes Veerman, Thomas Detry and David Law. They trailed Sebastian Heisele of Germany and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson by one after that pair each made seven unanswered birdies in their opening round.
Shaun Norris and George Coetzee both started well with a pair of four-under 68s, with Richard Sterne and Joburg Open champion Thriston Lawrence in a share of 17th on three-under. Oliver Bekker was on two-under, Justin Walters on one-under, Darren Fichardt and Zander Lombard on level-par, Daniel van Tonder on one-over and Jacques Kruyswijk on five-over.
