England’s Ross Fisher made an excellent start to the Tshwane Open as he chases a first European Tour win for four years.
A four-time winner between 2007 and 2010, the former Ryder Cup star carded a six under par 66 at Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate – at 7,964 yards the longest course in European Tour history.
Having started on the back nine Fisher turned in a blemish-free 32 before carding a bogey at the first.
However, a run of four consecutive birdies from the fifth, including a 20 foot putt at the seventh, saw him hit the top of the leaderboard in Centurion, only to drop a second shot of the day at the last after failing to get up-and-down from just off the green.
“I got into a nice steady run with four birdies in a row on the front nine, which was my back nine,” said Fisher. “Unfortunately I dropped one at the last, but I can’t complain too much with six under.
“The course is pretty soft after all the rain we’ve had and it depends on what happens this afternoon, but if you drive it well then you’ll have a lot of looks at birdie.
“My game feels in good shape coming off the back of a good result in South Africa a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know what it is, I just enjoy playing down here and I seem to play quite well.”
South Africans have won ten of the last 13 European Tour events on home soil, so it was little surprise to see home favourites Erik van Rooyen and Jared Harvey sharing the clubhouse lead with Fisher on six under, with India’s Shiv Kapur, Danish rookie Lucas Bjerregaard and England's Chris Wood tied for fourth on five under.
“I was very happy with my all-round game and it’s always nice to get off to a decent start and know that everything can flow. All-in-all I’m excited.”
Van Rooyen, ranked 1,505th in the Official World Golf Ranking, made it a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard after he followed an eagle on the eighth with a bogey on the ninth, his final hole.
But defending champion Dawie van der Walt was struggling at the wrong end of the field, bogeys at the first, fourth and fifth leaving him three over par at the turn.
