Richie Ramsay mixes it up in Morocco

Ramsay carded eight birdies, two bogeys, a double bogey and an eagle to set the early clubhouse target on five under par.

The 27-year-old former US Amateur champion recorded just six pars on the Golf du Palais Royal course, but now has his sights set on a second European Tour title.

"It was definitely up and down," said Ramsay. "My scorecard is normally quite steady but I fought back well and coming back in 31 for 66 is always good.

"There was not too much wind and the greens are soft. The wind does swirl though and maybe it might get up in the afternoon.

"There's water out there and if you are two or three yards off line the ball spins back into trouble. The greens are quite small so you have to be careful and patient.

"I've been out with a neck injury the last few weeks. It's still a bit tight but the physio guys are doing a great job."

Ramsay was just three off the pace when he finished, but then saw South African George Coetzee add an eagle on the fifth to birdies at his first three holes. That took Coetzee to ten under par and a four-shot lead over Germany's Florian Fritsch, India's Shiv Kapur and England's David Horsey.

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke had plummeted down the leaderboard after running up a triple-bogey eight on the fifth, the former Ryder Cup player dropping to one under and nine off the pace.

Unsurprisingly, Coetzee was unable to maintain that electrifying start and dropped shots at the sixth and eighth - albeit with a birdie on the seventh - took him to the turn in 32.

He was joined at the top of the leaderboard when Horsey's approach to the sixth span sideways into the hole for an eagle, the Englishman following that with a birdie on the next.

Coetzee reclaimed first place on his own at ten under, though, with a birdie on the tenth as the leading pair threatened to pull away from the chasing pack.