Skip to content

Quiros ahead by 1 shot chasing wire-to-wire win in Morocco

Andrew Redington / Getty Images Sport / Getty

RABAT, Morocco (AP) A birdie on the last hole gave Alvaro Quiros a one-shot lead to take into the final round of the Trophee Hassan II.

Quiros' birdie four on No. 18 allowed the Spanish golfer to sign for a level-par 72 on Saturday to stay at 7-under par overall and clear of four players queued up in second place.

South African pair Erik van Rooyen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, France's Alexander Levy, and Finland's Mikko Ilonen were just a shot behind on 6 under heading into the last day at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat.

Quiros is a seven-time winner on the European Tour but went six years without a victory until last year and his triumph at the Rocco Forte Open in Italy.

He's seeking a wire-to-wire victory in Morocco after sharing the first-round lead with Bradley Dredge before taking it outright on day two.

Quiros had an on-off day in the third round - he said it was ''suddenly great shot, suddenly not so good'' - and carded four birdies and four bogeys to come out level and still hold onto his lead.

Van Rooyen shot 71, Bezuidenhout 68, Levy a 69, and Ilonen the best round of the week so far with his 6-under 66.

Ilonen had seven birdies and just a single bogey - on his first hole - to leap 23 places up the leaderboard and into contention for a first tour title since 2014 when he won the World Match Play Championship.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox