Hinton and Canizares share lead

Riyadh - It was Hinton and Canizares who both had been strong off the tee and just as good with the putter, zooming out to a big lead.

Craig Hinton and Gabriel Canizares shot matching seven-under 65s on Monday to share the lead after the first round of the American Express Dirab Golf Championship, the sixth stop of the Mena Golf Tour this season.
Playing in the day's very second group, England's Hinton took full advantage of decent morning conditions at Dirab Golf and Country Club, reeling off one eagle and six birdies against a lone bogey while Canizares of Spain went bogey-free as the duo moved three shots clear of rising English amateur James Allan.
Prince Khaled Saud Al Faisal spearheaded the Saudi challenge with a two-over 74 after making the turn at two under as Morocco's Ayoub Lguirati fired a three-under 69, highlighted by three birdies in a row from the 14th, to hit the front in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award.
Shaikh Khaled raced to three under after the 13th, but a triple bogey on the par-5, 15th which was followed by a double bogey on the 17th prevented him from finishing the opening round in red figures.
It was Hinton and Canizares who both had been strong off the tee and just as good with the putter, zooming out to a big lead.
"It's one of my best rounds on the Mena Golf Tour. This is one course where wind doesn't come into play and that helped," said Hinton, who played on the Asian Tour in 2014.

• South Stars