Hilton Classic Round 1

Pierre Pineau navigated a challenging opening day in Tangier to lead the field after the first round of the 2026 Hilton Classic. The Frenchman carded a superb 3-under-par 69, trading four birdies for a single blemish to hold a slim one-shot advantage over a group of three chasers.

Pineau’s ability to find the small, undulating greens at Al Houara proved the difference as many of the late starters struggled with deteriorating weather conditions. The highlight for the traveling fans was the performance of Alex Maguire, who posted a resilient 4-under-par 68 earlier in the day to briefly hold the clubhouse lead.

Maguire's round was a display of expert scrambling, as he managed to save par on several occasions after missing the narrow fairways. He sits in a tie for second alongside England's Curtis Knipes and Pakistan's Aadam Syed.

Paul McBride also remained well in the hunt with an opening 1-under 71, while several of the pre-tournament favorites found themselves over par as torrential rain began to affect the scoring for the final groups of the afternoon.