Low scoring was the order of the day in the first round of the Africa Open on Thursday, with Garth Mulroy leading the South African contingent out to maintain their remarkable dominance of events on home soil.
George Coetzee's victory in the Joburg Open on Sunday means nine of the last 12 European Tour events staged in South Africa have been won by home players, with all four previous Africa Opens won by South Africans.
Mulroy carded an opening 64 to set a clubhouse target later matched by Welshman Rhys Davies and England's Richard Bland.
The 35 year old carded six birdies, an eagle and one bogey to finish seven under par, while Davies recovered from a bogey on the first to fire eight birdies in his last 16 holes.
Bland made it a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard with a flawless round containing an eagle on the third and five birdies in a back nine of 30 as the players took advantage of the calm conditions on a course measuring just 6,632 yards.
That is extremely short by modern standards and with no wind blowing in from the adjacent Indian Ocean, a repeat of the winning total of 27 under recorded by former Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen in 2012 was on the cards.
"It's always nice to start the week this way," Mulroy said after his round. "Usually we don't get weather like this here, but I'm not complaining. The scores are definitely out there, you've just got to make some putts.
"I am pleased to be up there. I played okay on my first nine, but only turned one under. On the second nine I made a few putts and got it going. I think that on the front side of the course there are a few short par fours and with good shots you can make some easy birdies."
Davies won in Morocco in 2010 but has struggled to reproduce that form recently, losing his card at the end of 2012 and narrowly failing to regain it via The Challenge Tour last year.
He said: "I haven't had the greatest form over the last couple of years, so it's really nice to have a good round under my belt.
"It was a lovely start this morning, I enjoyed it, and I'll try to do the same again tomorrow."
Scotland's David Drysdale was a shot off the pace alongside American John Hahn and France's Gregory Bourdy, who finished second to Darren Fichardt here 12 months ago.
Bourdy completed his 65 in brilliant style by holing a bunker shot on the eighth, his final hole, for a seventh birdie of the day, while Fichardt had to settle for a five under 66 after finding the same sand trap as Bourdy and running up a bogey five.
