Ross Fisher made a fine start at the Nedbank Golf Challenge as his love affair with Gary Player Country Club looked set to continue.
The Englishman has finished in the top five on all of his visits to Sun City, including a runners-up spot last year, and was three under through six holes in the early stages of the first round.
The 35 year old parred the first but then made a hat-trick of birdies from the second to open up a one-shot lead. He put his second shot at the third to inside two feet and then drained a 30-footer on the next as he found an early rhythm.
Defending champion Danny Willett and 2008 winner Henrik Stenson were in the final group out and both men made a birdie-birdie start to sit in a group of seven players behind Fisher.
Marc Leishman was in the first group out and had an early contender for shot of the day with just his second stroke as he played out of some nasty stuff on the right to about four feet. He missed the birdie putt but made gains on the fifth and ninth to turn in 34.
Branden Grace and Matthew Fitzpatrick both had birdies on the second and third to sit two under alongside World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions winner Russell Knox who had gains on the second and sixth.
Keegan Bradley was putting together a remarkable round as he recovered from a triple-bogey on the first with five straight birdies.
Lee Westwood holed an enormous putt on the fourth to sit one under alongside Victor Dubuisson, Thongchai Jaidee, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen, Robert Streb, Jaco Van Zyl and Bernd Wiesberger.
