Asian Tour rookie Sean Jean Ramos kept his composure to post a steady two-under-par 71, matching Miguel Tabuena in the opening round of the International Series Morocco at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam on Thursday.
Playing just his fifth Tour event, Ramos shook off an early bogey on the 3rd hole, responding with three birdies over the next eight.
He dropped another shot on the 14th but immediately bounced back with a birdie on 15, finishing the day tied for 15th, just three shots behind American co-leaders John Catlin and Peter Uihlein.
“Today’s round was good — just focused on hitting good shots and taking it one hole at a time,” said Ramos, whose bag was carried by his girlfriend and fellow pro Laurea Duque.
“The course is tough this week. It’s a tight, tree-lined layout and a little longer than what we’ve been playing.”
Tabuena also overcame a rough start, bogeying two of his first three holes before recovering with four birdies, including back-to-back gains on 17 and 18 to close his round strongly.
Meanwhile, Lloyd Jefferson Go of Cebu City birdied the final hole to sign for a one-under-par 72.
It was a tougher day for the rest of the Filipino contingent.
Justin Quiban and Carl Jano Corpus struggled with matching 76s, while Aidric Chan posted a 78.
Corpus and Chan earned their spots in the cash-rich event after winning Asian Development Tour Rising Stars events held in Morocco.
Catlin bounced back to form with a five-under-par 68 to grab a share of the lead with Uihlein.
Catlin, who lost in a playoff at this venue last year, was on fire early with six birdies on his opening nine (the back nine). Two bogeys and a birdie coming home dropped him back to five-under. “Outside of the third hole, I played pretty much flawless golf,” said Catlin. “I love this course — it suits my game.”
Uihlein also started on the 10th and struggled early but surged with four straight birdies from 15 to 18, eventually finishing with birdies on the par-5 fifth and eighth to match Catlin. “The driver is key here — keeping it between the trees. The greens are soft, so it’s gettable,” he said.
Australia’s Maverick Antcliff, Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut, and Korea’s Hongtaek Kim sit one shot back at 69. All three posted bogey-free rounds, with Antcliff calling the course “challenging but fair” in breezy afternoon conditions.
China’s Sampson Zheng, who arrived Wednesday after qualifying for The Open, was among eight players tied for sixth at 70.
Catlin, with just one top-10 this season after a stellar 2024, appears to have rediscovered the form that brought wins in Macau and Saudi Arabia, plus three runner-up finishes last year.
The International Series Morocco is one of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour schedule and serves as a pathway to the LIV Golf League.