Francesco Laporta and Thomas Linard posted the only two eagles of the day to claim a share of the lead alongside Jason Scrivener in the opening round of the Trophée Hassan II.
The trio all shot four under par rounds of 68 on a day when the Robert Trent Jones-designed Royal Golf Dar Es Salam bared its teeth, with just 32 players breaking par in testing conditions in Rabat.
Scrivener finished 117th in the Race to Dubai last season in his rookie year and had to come through the Qualifying School for the second consecutive campaign, but the Australian has made a consistent start to 2016, missing just one cut in nine events.
He continued that impressive form in Morocco, making birdies on the second, fourth, 11th, 14th and 15th, with a single bogey on the 13th hole the only blemish of an otherwise impeccable display.
Laporta recovered brilliantly from a sticky start to post the second lowest round of his fledgling European Tour career.
The rookie claimed the 15th card at the Qualifying School in November, but has made just one cut so far this season. However, after a top five finish in Madrid on the Challenge Tour last week, Laporta arrived in Rabat full of confidence and, having cancelled out two early bogeys with a brace of gains on the fifth and ninth holes, he flew home in 33 to catapult up the leaderboard.
The highlight of Laporta’s round came at the 12th hole, and Linard matched the Italian’s eagle after hitting his four wood to 15 feet and holing the putt.
Fourth place is currently shared by local hero Younes El Hassani, Tano Goya, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Adrien Saddier and Borja Virto Astudillo.
Goya and Lorenzo-Vera both finished like the proverbial trains, picking up for shots in their final six holes to sign for matching 68s.
For the first time this week, the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour are playing at the same venue concurrently, with the men playing the Red Course and the women playing the Blue Course.
Florentyna Parker from England leads the way from a group of players which includes Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord. Sadly, her fiancée Richard Green fared less well, the Australian signing for an 82.
Thomas Linard: “I missed a few short putts so my round could have been even better, but I still have to be very happy with a 68. It was a little bit breezy this afternoon, but I don’t mind that because I quite like playing in the wind. It is a good challenge, so I enjoy it.”
Jason Scrivener: “It was pretty tricky out there this morning, pretty wet and quite cold, so to shoot a 68 in those conditions was very pleasing. There are some tricky holes early on, so to birdie two of my first four was just the sort of start I was looking for. After that, I hung in there well and putted nicely, so it was a good day all round.”
Francesco Laporta: “I hit the ball much better from the fifth hole on, and obviously the eagle on the 12th was the highlight of the day. Then coming in, I made four up and downs in the last five holes, and the birdie on the last was a very nice way to finish.”
Andrew Johnston: “I hit a lot of fairways today which is so important round here. The rough is brutal, especially when it’s wet, I tried to hit a seven iron 150 yards and it came up about 30 yards short, so that tells you how thick it is. On the sixth, I had such a bad lie in the rough. I tried to hit an eight iron to the front of the green, but didn’t get it anywhere close.”
