Better together? Men and women tee-it up in Rabat
European golf claimed a slice of history on Thursday when both men's and women's tours competed at the same venue at the same time at Rabat's Royal Golf Dar Es Salam course.
In the men's EPGA Trophee Hassan II tournament, Francesco Laporta, Thomas Linard and Jason Scrivener shared the lead on four under, playing the Red Course.
England's Florentyna Parker, meanwhile, topped the leaderboard in the LPGA's Lalla Meryem Cup on the neighbouring Blue Course with a five-under 67.
Italy's Laporta, Linard of France and 27-year-old Australian Scrivener opened up a one-shot advantage over Younes El Hassani, Estanislao Goya, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Adrien Saddier and Borja Virto Astudillo.
Scrivener finished 117th in the Race to Dubai last season in his rookie year and had to come through Qualifying School for the second consecutive campaign but he has made a very consistent start to 2016, missing just one cut in nine events.
The Australian continued that impressive form in Morocco, making birdies on the second, fourth, 11th, 14th and 15th, with a single bogey on the 13th.
"There are some tricky holes early on, so to birdie two of my first four was just the sort of start I was looking for. After that, I hung in there well and putted nicely, so it was a good day all round," he said.
The event featured one famous name with Javier Ballesteros, the 25-year-old son of Spanish legend Seve playing his first main tour event of the year.
But he carded a five-over 77 to be nine strokes off the lead.
Parker's round, which included seven birdies against two bogeys, equalled the women's tournament course record in the Lalla Meryem Cup.
She is a stroke ahead of compatriot Liz Young, Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord and Finland's Oona Vartiainen.
The shaft of Parker's driver broke in half when it was accidentally caught under a rope as she took a buggy ride to the course to play in the Pro-Am on Wednesday and she was thrilled when a new shaft arrived just before her afternoon tee time allowing her to use the club.
"The tour van only had extra stiff shafts and I play regular," explained the two-time LET tournament winner from Royal Birkdale, whose most recent victory was the Italian Open in 2014.
"I got someone else's shaft but it wasn't the right one and then this morning, luckily I had one sent from home."