Trophee Hassan II 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Jason Scrivener is part of a three-way tie atop the leaderboard at the end of Day 1 of the Trophee Hassan II 2016, after the Australian struck four below par on the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam course in Morocco on Thursday. 

Frenchman Thomas Linard and Italian Francesco Laporta each matched Scrivener's round of 68, with Linard making quick work of some tricky holes and ending with an impressive scorecard to his credit.

The leaders' success came while fancied trio Andrew Johnston, Alexander Levy and Alejandro Canizares all struggled and ended the day as part of the trailing pack.

Here's what the leaderboard looks like after the tournament's opening day:

Position	Golfer	To Par	Round 1
T1	Jason Scrivener	-4	68
T1	Francesco Laporta	-4	68
T1	Thomas Linard	-4	68
T4	Younes El Hassani	-3	69
T4	Adrien Saddier	-3	69
T4	Borja Virto Astudillo	-3	69
T4	Estanislao Goya	-3	69
T4	Mike Lorenzo-Vera	-3	69
T9	Andrew Johnston	-2	70
T9	Romain Wattel	-2	70

All scorecard information via EuropeanTour.com.

3-Way Tie at the Top After Round 1

Scrivener's round of 68 featured steady work, including hitting par on 12 of the 18 holes. That consistency helped him overcome a bogey on the 13th.

Five birdies also spurred the Australian's finish. It was an effort matched by Linard, who also took down an eagle at the 12th. But a trio of bogeys showed some of the inconsistency present during Linard's own round of 68.

Laporta couldn't quite match Linard and Scrivener's birdie output, but he still went one under par on a quartet of holes, and he even hit an eagle at the 12th.

Late excitement was provided by Mike Lorenzo-Vera, after the Frenchman produced a series of spectacular shots on his approach to the 18th.

His drive to find the green at the 13th was relayed by the European Tour:

That shot proved the perfect riposte to consecutive bogeys at the 11th and 12th. But it wasn't the only Lorenzo-Vera shot that wowed the crowds.

After following the birdie at 13 with a par on the par-three 14th, Lorenzo-Vera produced this to make short work of the 15th hole:

Those moments of brilliance, along with a run of four birdies from the last six holes, helped Lorenzo-Vera finish the day one stroke short of the leading trio.

Things didn't go as well for Johnston, identified as one of three pre-tournament favourites with the oddsmakers, according to Tom Clarke of Golf Monthly.

But the Englishman didn't have much to shout about after hitting a round of 70. Too many pars and a pair of bogeys kept Johnston trailing, although the Spanish Open winner still managed to produce some spectacular shots.

The most notable came at the start of the seventh:

Among the other fancied players, Levy and Canizares could only manage finishes of just one under par for the day. Like Johnston, they've missed a prime opportunity to set the early pace in Africa.

With 2015 winner Richie Ramsay not in attendance, it's Scrivener who has laid down an early marker. But he'll be wary of the magic Linard can produce at his best, as well as the dogged talents of Laporta.