Sanders fires opening round of 72 at DGC

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April 2, 2026
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2-April-2026

Sanders fires opening round of 72 at DGC

Doha: England’s Andrew Sanders fired an opening round of 72 to take the first-round lead at the 40th Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship, which got underway at the Doha Golf Club (DGC) on Thursday.

In a field of 90 players competing over three days, Sanders set the early pace in the singles stroke-play format, finishing level par to hold a two-shot advantage over Slovakia’s Jakub Hrinda, who carded a 74. Australia’s Andrew Extrems was a further two shots back in third.

Britain’s Dean Morris finished fourth after posting a five-over-par round, tied alongside Australia’s Cam Craner and England’s Callum Fitzgerald in a closely contested chasing group.

Among the home contingent, Qatar’s defending champion Saleh Al Kaabi led the way, finishing seventh on 79, seven strokes over par, tied with Ireland’s Scott Holland Flynn and South Africa’s Franco Rabbi. Fellow Qatari Waqas Al-Balushi rounded out the top 10 with a score of 80.

Rising prospect Daniel Sokolov placed 14th after an opening round of 82, while Abdulaziz Al-Buainain and Fahad Mir shared 23rd position on 86. Jaham Al-Kuwari finished 29th, tied with Abdulaziz Al-Shahrani and Kamil Bourqia.

The tournament continues today with the second round, after which the top 50 players will progress to the final day.

The championship winner will secure a coveted place in the Qatar Masters, adding further incentive in one of Qatar’s leading amateur events.