Jacques Blaauw’s red-hot run of putting on the back nine saw him post a six under par round of 66 to lead the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open after day one.
The South African needed only ten putts as he came home in 32 to take a one-stroke lead into the second day ahead of countryman Tristen Strydom, Denmark’s Martin Simonsen and 22-year-old Daniel Hillier, of New Zealand, who all share second place on five under par at Royal Cape Golf Club.
Blaauw carded a bogey-free opening round in the Mother City and rode the positive momentum as he bounced back from a missed cut in last week’s Limpopo Championship.
“As of late, I haven’t been playing very well so I’m very chuffed with six under par and no bogeys as well,” he said.
“I had ten putts on the back nine. I missed a couple of greens so I had to make a couple of par putts but the putter is behaving nicely and I’m enjoying these greens a hell of a lot. If you put the two together, hopefully I can keep it going, but it feels good.
“It’s all momentum. I had a pretty good par putt on 15 where I was a little bit unlucky. I had a mud ball and it shot straight left, had no shot, had to lay-up in the bunker again and then up and down with a 15-footer for par, which I was very happy about. I’m seeing the lines very well and obviously striking them good.”
Denmark’s Simonsen, who also missed the cut in Modimolle last week in the first of three co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour, was pleased with how he battled the wind and rain on day one and showed the recent progress he has been making in his game.
“The weather was very unexpected,” he said. “I did not anticipate the rain at all, I didn’t bring any rain gear but it was okay on the front. It got quite windy towards 14, that was quite tough, but other than that it was a good day, I’ll take it.
“I’m very pleased. I didn’t have a great week last week so I knew my game wasn’t too far away and it was nice to see it work out today. I had nine bad holes in Limpopo but other than that I was pretty good.”
Spain’s Emilio Cuartero Blanco, Belgium's Christopher Mivis, South African Jaco Prinsloo and Sweden’s Robin Petersson share fifth place on four under par alongside Germany’s Thomas Rosenmüller.
The second round of the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open will begin at 7:20am local time on Friday April 30.
