Sean Jean Ramos birdied back-to-back holes starting the 15th to salvage a one-under-par 71 in the am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Filipino sits tied for 27th, five shots off the pace.
Ramos started strong with a birdie, but dropped shots on holes 5 and 6. He recovered with a birdie on the par-5 7th to turn at even par. A bogey on the 11th pushed him back to one-over before closing with consecutive birdies from the 15th to finish under par.
Carl Jano Corpus, the other Filipino in the field, opened with a 75 in a roller-coaster round highlighted by a double bogey late in his round.
At the top, Hoho Yue moved one shot clear after firing a six-under 66. The Hong Kong player opened with an eagle on the par-5 7th — nearly making an albatross from 260 yards before tapping in for birdie on the follow-up — and added six birdies in an impressive opening round.
He leads American Nathan Han and Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong by one shot at five-under 67. A group of four — Sven Maurits, Franco Scorzato, Matthew Cheung, and Agusti Quinquilla Madalena — sit tied for fourth at 68.
Yue, a former University of Oregon player, said he embraced the windy conditions and early momentum after overcoming initial errors. Han, playing only his second professional event, surged with six birdies in eight holes before a costly double bogey on his ninth.
Runchanapong stayed steady despite a bogey on the par-5 14th, praising both his resilience and the coastal views despite challenging winds.
India’s Raghav Chugh, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa, and Sudhir Sharma lead the IGPL contingent at three-under 69, while Morocco’s Ayoub Id-Omar is the top local at two-under 70.
The event is the fifth stop of the 2026 ADT season. The Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort will also host next week’s IGPL Bharath Classic, followed by the International Series Morocco finale in three weeks.
