Dougherty eagle helps him to first round lead in Morocco

London: Britain`s Nick Dougherty shot an eagle and seven birdies on his way to a seven-under-par 66 for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Hassan II Trophy in Rabat. Ireland`s Peter Lawrie and Italian Francesco Molinari, playing on the blue course at Morocco`s Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, were among six players tied on six under. "It was a little bit of a battle on the front nine," Dougherty, who played the red course, was quoted as saying on the European Tour website."I have been struggling a little bit with my game. Thomas Bjorn gave me a little bit of help on the range yesterday which meant the world to me and it`s a work in progress.” "I played some really good stuff today and my short game was great in general. So I`m very pleased with the score but there`s still a bit of work to do on my game," added the Englishman who blotted his card with bogeys at the fifth and seventh holes before eagling the par-five 10th. Former Ryder Cup player Paul McGinley was three over for the round in his first event since a knee operation at the end of last year.The Hassan II Trophy is making its debut on the European Tour. The opening two rounds are a pro-am on the red and blue courses. The tournament then continues with professionals only on the red course. Bureau Report