Casey Jarvis posted an eight under par round of 64 to take the lead on the opening day of the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt Golf Estate.
The South African carded nine birdies and one bogey on the Outeniqua course to move one shot ahead of countryman Luke Jerling, who carded a seven under 65, and Sweden’s Adam Blomme who carded a seven under 66 on The Links.
The 19-year-old has been working hard on his putting in recent weeks and was delighted to reap the rewards with an impressive opening round at the spectacular Fancourt Golf Estate.
“I played really well from the start today and I hit the ball really solid throughout my round,” he said. “I’ve been working hard on my putting recently and it seemed to have paid off because I rolled in a lot of putts and I’m happy with my performance.
“It was nice to put in a low score on the opening day and I really enjoyed playing Outeniqua today. It was important to make a good start and set myself up for the tougher courses over the next two days.
“I was aggressive from the beginning because I knew I was hitting my irons well and I didn’t miss many greens. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the tournament.”
The South African recorded a top ten finish at the Joburg Open at the end of last year, a tournament co-sanctioned between the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour, and he has taken plenty of confidence from being in contention so early on in his career.
“I went to a friend of mine who helped me with my swing, and I started to hit the ball really well after that,” he said. “I’ve put myself in contention on a few occasions recently and I want to keep learning from those experiences and eventually my time will come.”
Irishman Ruaidhri McGee posted a six under par round of 66 to move into fourth place alongside American Clancy Waugh and South African duo Jean Hugo and Oliver Bekker, who graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2021.
Eight players share eighth place on five under par, including seven-time DP World Tour winner Alvaro Quiros and England’s Steven Brown.
The second round of the Dimension Data Pro-Am will begin at 6:30am local time, with Jarvis teeing it up on The Links at 8:47am alongside three-time DP World Tour winner Hennie Otto.
