MENA Golf Tour Q-School Round 1

Chris Wood lived up to his top-billing during the first round of the 2025 MENA Tour Q-School, firing a scintillating 6-under par 66 to take a dominant four-shot lead. Wood’s round was a tactical clinic in course management; he utilized a 2-iron off the tee on the tighter par-4s to avoid the punishing sandy rough and took advantage of the par-5 14th with a clinical up-and-down for birdie.

His bogey-free performance set a high bar for the rest of the field and served notice that the Englishman is back to his ball-striking best. Behind Wood, the leaderboard is tightly packed with players vying for those crucial tour cards.

England's Will Marshall sits in solo second after a steady 2-under 70, while a large group including Scotland's Sebastian Sandin, France's Nicolas Calvet, and Italy's Ludovico Addabbo are all within striking distance after carding even-par rounds of 72. With only the top 50 earning full status, the pressure is already mounting for those in the middle of the pack, particularly as the Troia greens began to firm up and speed up toward the end of the day.