Alex Maguire went bogey-free on his way to an opening six-under 66 that leaves him one shot off the lead at the Clutch Pro Tour Championship at Al Ain in the UAE, but James Sugrue’s hopes of securing promotion to the HotelPlanner Tour are on thin ice after day one.
The Mallow man came into the season-ending event in third place on the Clutch Pro Tour Order of Merit, with the leading three players in the rankings at the conclusion of this week’s event earning HotelPlanner Tour cards for 2026.
A runner-up finish in last week’s Al Zorah Championship catapulted Sugrue into the promotion places, but a level-par 72 wasn’t the start he was looking for though two birdies in his final three holes helped him claw his way back from two-over, and he finds himself in a share of 57th with 36 holes to go.
To make matters worse, Jordan Wrisdale, the fourth-ranked player in the Order of Merit, shot a seven-under 65 to share the lead with fellow Englishman Tom Sloman. With double points on offer in the season-ending championship, a runner-up finish for Sugrue – which would be his third of the season – would guarantee he finishes in the top three as even though Wrisdale would still overtake him, he in turn would overtake second-ranked David Langley who is not playing this week as he’s already been promoted having won three times on the circuit.
Maguire, however, is simply playing for the prizemoney and his six-birdie haul saw him take the clubhouse lead before being overtaken by Wrisdale and Sloman later in the day and sits in solo third.
Paul McBride is one stroke further adrift at -5 and will be disappointed to have bogeyed the par-5 closing hole, while Mark Power is tied for 11th at -4 after a bogey-free 68 that ended with back-to-back birdies, and Robert Brazill is just inside the top 20 in a share of 19th after a three-under 69.
Daniel Mulligan sits tied for 72nd at +1, while John Ross Galbraith (+2), and Cormac Sharvin (+3) have next week’s DP World Tour Q-School Second Stage Qualifiers on their minds.
FULL SCORING
