EAST LONDON, January 7 – Richard Sterne's early seven-under-par 66 held up for the first round lead on Thursday in the €1-million Africa Open at the 6,191-metre (6,770-yard) par-73 East London Golf Club, but he had the company of four others at the end of the day.
The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour, and is the third event in the 2010 Race to Dubai.
Eastern Cape local Titch Moore, South Africa's Trevor Fisher Jnr, Denmark's Mark Haastrup and Sweden's Patrik Sjoland each came home in 66, leaving a group of five players on six-under 67, nicely poised to challenge for the lead.
"I was never really in trouble today, which was quite nice around here, because the trouble is normally a lost ball or something," said Sterne.
He took advantage of benign conditions as the winds never picked up to record a bogey-free round. "There was definitely a two-club wind when we were into it," said Sterne, "but it was not nearly as bad as it can get here."
Moore took advantage of being an Eastern Cape native to negotiate the course, and with the absence of wind, was able to use his driver to great effect: "I was hitting it straight today, and I used it a lot on the homeward nine," he said.
It only let him down on the 16th when he made a bogey five. "I blocked the drive right, and didn't have any kind of lie. When I was finally left with a three-foot putt, I managed to miss it," he said.
Fisher, who is from the Highveld where the wind is not as much of a factor, was also grateful for the breeze which replaced the gusts of the previous two days. "I'm really happy with my round, and it was only when I landed in a sandy divot on the 18th fairway that I made bogey," he said.
Sjoland, like Sterne, had a bogey-free card, and his position on the leaderboard was largely due to an eagle three on the 498-metre (545-yard) 15th, which was playing with the prevailing wind on the day and was consequently the easiest hole on the course on the day.
Haastrup is playing on the European Tour for the first time after taking the eighth card at the 2009 Qualifying School Final Stage. He had a bogey five on the ninth in an otherwise flawless performance.
Two of the marquee names in the event had poor rounds: England's Nick Dougherty battled his way to a three-over 76, and that has left him with a lot of work to do in the second round if he is to make the cut.
New Zealand teenager Danny Lee has even more of a battle on his hands after signing for a four-over 77.
But Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey, who shared second in last year's Africa Open, started well with a five-under 68, despite having to wait anxiously for the arrival of his clubs after they went missing ahead of the tournament.
Darren Clarke , his compatriot with whom he shared second last year, looked on course for a better opening round than his eventual four-under, but, despite his 18th-hole bogey, is not out of contention.
Scores (RSA unless specified):
66 - Richard Sterne, Trevor Fisher Jnr, Patrik Sjoland (SWE), Titch Moore, Mark F Haastrup (DEN)
67 - Tjaart van der Walt, Keith Horne, Charl Schwartzel, Thomas Aiken
68 - Jake Roos, George Coetzee, Deane Pappas, Charl Coetzee, Jose-Filipe Lima (POR), Sam Hutsby (ENG), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (FRA), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Justin Walters (ENG), James Morrison (ENG), Miles Tunnicliff (ENG), Andre Cruse, James Kingston, Michael Hoey (NIR), Robert Coles (ENG), Dion Fourie
69 - Kenneth Ferrie (ENG), Jarmo Sandelin (SWE), Michiel Bothma, Carl Suneson (ESP), Oliver Bekker, Bradford Vaughan, Hennie Otto, Jbe' Kruger, Neil Schietekat, Marco Ruiz (PAR), Martin Maritz, Thabang Simon, Pelle Edberg (SWE), Darren Clarke (NIR), Jaco Van Zyl, Louis de Jager, Paulo Pinto (ARG), Joost Luiten (NED), Garry Houston (WAL), Jacques Blaauw
70 - Alejandro Canizares (ESP), Steve Basson, Alexandre Kaleka (FRA), Raphael Jacquelin (FRA), Darren Fichardt, Phillip Archer (ENG), Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Mark Murless, Oliver Fisher (ENG), Desvonde Botes, Klas Eriksson (SWE), Reggie Adams, Clodomiro Carranza (ARG), Andrew Marshall (ENG), Peter Baker (ENG), Sion E Bebb (WAL), Gary Boyd (ENG), Tyrone Mordt, Branden Grace, Ryan Tipping, Christiaan Basson, Clinton Whitelaw
71 - Mervyn Galant, Steven O'Hara (SCO), Jean Hugo, Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Marc Cayeux (ZIM), Tyrone Ferreira, Chris Swanepoel, Benjamin Hebert (FRA), Grant Muller, Jamie McLeary (SCO), Andrew McArthur (SCO), Adilson da Silva (BRA), Alan McLean (SCO), Prinavin Nelson, Julien Quesne (FRA), Alex Haindl, Benn Barham (ENG), Stuart Anderson (CAN), Julien Guerrier (FRA), Magnus A Carlsson (SWE), Anthony Michael, Andrew Georgiou, Willie van der Merwe
72 - Fredrik Ohlsson (SWE), Matthew Zions (AUS), Chris Williams, Jean-Francois Lucquin (FRA), Warren Abery, David Lynn (ENG), Steven Jeppesen (SWE), TC Charamba (ZIM), Christian Ries, Callum Macaulay (SCO), Ryan Cairns (ZIM), Jaco Ahlers, Daniel Greene, PH McIntyre, Jamie Elson (ENG), Phillip Price (WAL), Tyrone van Aswegen, Brandon Pieters, Peter Whiteford(SCO), Ulrich van den Berg, Scott Hend (AUS), Louis Moolman
73 - Carlos Del Moral (ESP), Roope Kakko (FIN), Shaun Norris, Gary Clark (ENG), Francois Calmels (FRA), Joakim Haeggman(SWE), Mark Fensham, Rick Kulacz (AUS), Niall Kearney (IRL), Andrew Tampion (AUS), Scott Dunlap (USA), Heinrich Bruiners, Martin Wiegele (AUT), Dawie Van der Walt, Andrew Curlewis
74 - Stuart Manley (WAL), Toto Thimba (Jnr), Doug McGuigan, John Parry (ENG), Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE), Lorenzo Gagli (ITA), Simon Khan (ENG), James Ruth (ENG), Simon Thornton (IRL)
75 - Henrik Nystrom (SWE), Gary Murphy (IRL), Robert Dinwiddie (ENG), Wayne Westner, Mark Brown (NZL)
76 - Nick Dougherty (ENG), Richard McEvoy (ENG), Des Terblanche, Marcel Siem (GER), Brett Liddle, Johan du Buisson, Keenan Davidse
77 - Danny Lee (NZL), James Kamte, Lindani Ndwandwe
79 - Callie Burger, Anton Haig
80 - Lee Slattery (ENG), Merrick Bremner
DQ - Eirik Tage Johansen (NOR) |
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