Teenage English amateur Harley Smith set the back nine ablaze at the Aramco Invitational Tournament in Saudi Arabia today, posting seven birdies in nine holes to take a two shot lead over the rest of the field.

A brace of birdies and bogeys saw the 18-year-old Essex golfer make the turn at even par, but his flawless 29 heading home opened a gap at the top of the leaderboard in the US$250,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event, hosted at the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dhahran.

Making his first appearance on the ADT, Smith revealed how he’s finally seeing the back of a poor start to his golfing year.

“I struggled at the start of the year,“ he admitted after his round, “but I’ve worked really hard, especially over the last four or five months.

“In the off-season I worked really hard and I am now seeing some good results. It’s nice to [get a score like this] on my first appearance here. The event has been run very well. I’ve just enjoyed it and just enjoyed being out here playing golf again.”

DHAHRAN, SAUDI. ARABIA: Nirun Sae-Ueng of Thailand pictured on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during Round One of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos/ Asian Development Tour.

“I played very solid. The front nine I was playing really well and hitting the ball really well, but I was only level through nine. I hit loads of good putts that didn’t go in. But I just kept telling myself ‘just keep hitting good shots, keep hitting good putts’ because obviously the wind this afternoon, and the whole day, was very, very strong, so it wasn’t easy,” he explained.

“But then on the back nine I kept hitting those good shots, and finally the putts went in.”

Thailand’s Nirun Sae-Ueng, playing in the afternoon session, edged his way into second place on five under par and he was later joined by Minhyeok Yang of Korea. The pair sit ahead of early leaders Ervin Chang of Malaysia and Thailand’s Tunyapat Sukkoed who held the clubhouse lead on four under par after the morning session.

Chang and Tunyapat were later joined in fourth place by Ayoub Id-Omar of Morocco, Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub and Italy’s Edoardo Lipparelli.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI. ARABIA: Ayoub Id-Omar of Morocco pictured on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during Round One of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos/ Asian Development Tour.

For Chang, the winner earlier this year of the inaugural Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Award, a good performance this week could hoist him into contention for the coveted Asian Tour cards to be awarded to the top ten finishers.

“The round started off pretty well,” said Chang after his round. “Then I got some momentum towards the end of the front nine. I had a few good birdies and a good recovery putt as well,” he added.

“I’m feeling pretty happy about the round today, but definitely lots of room to improve. It was a lot of improvement from last year, and hopefully I can do the same again tomorrow,” he said.

The is the 12th and season-ending tournament in the 2023 season and the race for the 2024 tour cards could not be more wide open.

There has been a different winner at each of the eleven events so far this year and, with the sole exception of Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto, all the tournament victors are in Saudi Arabia and ready to fight for their future.

Aaron Wilkin of Australia, who won the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in August, is in eighth place on three under par, together with Thailand’s Pattaraphol Khanthacha, who won the Singha Pattaya Open in July. They share the spot with Vanchai Luangnitikul of Thailand and Sweden’s Erik Jonasson.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Yuvraj Singh Sandhu of India pictured on Tuesday November 28, 2023 during the Pro-am event ahead of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.

In 13th place, one shot further back on two under par, sits India’s Yuvraj Singha Sandhu, winner of the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia in August. He shares the position with the Japanese duo of Masaru Tani and Naoki Sekito, who won the OB Golf Championship in Indonesia in September, alongside Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn, Berry Henson of the USA and Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno.

Other tournament winners who are in contention include Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar, winner of the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura in August who sits in 19th on one under par. Thailand’s Sangchai Kaewcharoen, winner of the OB Golf Invitational presented by Sentul Highlands Golf Club in October, lies one shot further back on even par and in a share of 30th place.

The field of 119 players will be cut to the top 50 and ties after two days, with the tournament concluding on Saturday.