Golf legends compete in Hassan II Golf Trophy tournament in Morocco. The 48th Hassan II Golf Trophy and the 27th Lalla Meryem Golf Cup competitions started on Thursday at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Club in Rabat as part of the PGA Champions Tour 2024 season.
ADVERTISEMENTAmerican golf legend Steve Pate made his mark on the first day by already leading the scoreboard with a solo first-round, through his 6-under-par 67.
Experienced golfers aged 50 and over who built their golf careers on the PGA Tour take part in the challenging red course tournament giving fans the rare opportunity to see the elite of professional golfers worldwide in action.
This year’s competition holds 66 top tier players from the PGA Tour championships. Colin Montgomerie, winner of the 1997 edition and 8-time European No. 1, Joakim Haeggman, winner in 2001, José Maria Olazábal, double winner of the Masters, Tom Lehman, winner of the British Open in 1996, as well as Alex Cejka, winner of the 2023 Senior Open Championship, are among the contenders to follow the Canadian Stephen Ames, who will be keen to defend his title. Other former champions include Padraig Harrington, David Toms, and Ernie Els.
The field will also include iconic players from the world of golf such as Thomas Bjorn, Captain of the victorious European Ryder Cup team in 2018, American John Daly, double winner of major tournaments, and Spanish Miguel Angel Jiménez, with 13 victories on the PGA Tour Champions.
The Lalla Meryem Cup, a prestigious event on the Ladies European Tour (LET), is set to gather Europe’s top female golfers on the blue course among 108 competitors, among them being Ines Laklalech, winner of the 2022 Lacoste Ladies Open de France, Maha Haddioui, a seasoned LET professional of 11 years, and the remarkable young prodigy Sofia Cherif Essakali. At just 13, Sofia made headlines last year by becoming the youngest player ever to make the cut in the tournament.