Alex Levy will be hoping to draw on the memories of his 2018 victory at the Trophée Hassan II when he returns to the Red Course at Royal Dar Es Salam to defend his title from April 25-28.
Levy started the 2019 Race to Dubai strongly, claiming a top five at the lucrative Saudi International powered by SBIA, but he has not made an appearance on the European Tour since being forced to withdraw from the Oman Open at the start of March due to injury.
The Frenchman will make his return on a happy hunting ground, having claimed his fifth European Tour win in Morocco last year when he beat Spain’s Alvaro Quiros to the coveted bejeweled dagger trophy by one stroke.
Victory in Morocco lay the platform for another successful year on the European Tour as the 28-year-old went on to finish 30thon the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
“It was so satisfying to lift that trophy after a very challenging week,” said Levy. “The changes made to the Red Course made for a tough challenge, so I really felt as though I earned that victory.
“I started the day one shot off the lead, so it was important to make a fast start, and I had that with two birdies on my first five holes. I saw Alvaro dropped a shot on the second hole, so when I took the lead I didn’t look back.
“The year before, I won the Volvo China Open - also in April - so there must be something about this time of year that I enjoy.”
Although he has not played competitively for over a month, Levy is hoping to emerge fresh from his time off and rekindle the kind of form which helped him shoot four sub-70 rounds in Saudi Arabia.
“I was really disappointed that I had to withdraw from the Oman Open. I had a good result there last year, tied fourth, and that result carried momentum into my victory in Morocco.
“I do feel like I’m having to play catch-up after missing some of the start of this year, but I’m ready to hit the ground running and have another good year on Tour.”
Levy proved a popular winner in Morocco, a country in which French is a widely-used language.
“The crowd really treated me as one of their own,” said Levy. “So I’m really looking forward to going back to Rabat and playing in front of them again.”
