Golf – African Open update:A storming finish to his round enabled Trevor Fisher Jnr to share a five-way tie at the top of a clustered leaderboard after day one of the Africa Open at East London Golf Club on the Eastern Cape.
The South African ended with back-to-back birdies to move to seven under par alongside countrymen Titch Moore and Richard Sterne, while Sweden’s Patrik Sjoland and Dane Mark Haastrup made sure there were at least some Europeans firmly in the mix.
Four players were a further stroke back after 67s — Thomas Aiken, Keith Horne, Tjaart van der Walt and Charl Schwartzel, the highest ranked player in the field at 66 — with 16 players at five under on a day of low scoring in the coastal city, more commonly associated with windy conditions.
Amongst those was England’s Robert Coles, who fired an incredible six straight birdies to move into a share of the lead, before a bogey on the penultimate par-four seventh saw him slip back.
Other Britons in the same pack were Sam Hutsby, Michael Hoey, James Morrison, Miles Tunnicliff and Justin Walters.
However, it was not a great day for two of the pre-tournament favourites, Englishman Nick Dougherty and rising New Zealand star Danny Lee, who struggled in their first outings of 2010.
Liverpool golfer Dougherty ended his round with a disappointing 76 — his effort including a pair of bogeys and double-bogeys amongst three birdies — with 19-year-old Lee finishing a shot worse.
Michael Hoey is best placed of the Irish on five under, with fellow Ulsterman Darren Clarke one behind after 69 that included bogeys at the fifth and 18th.
Tour debutant Niall Kearney is level par after a 73, while Simon Thornton and Gary Murphy are one and two adrift of him respectively.
Most of the day, though, belonged to Sterne.
The world number 94, who started his round on the ninth hole — with the 10th, more often used as an alternate starting point, being adjudged too far to walk from the clubhouse — felt he could have gone even better.
He said: “I had it going, seven under with four to go. But five and six aren’t my favourite holes, so I played them conservatively and made pars. I didn’t play good wedge shots there at all, but I’m still happy with seven under.”
Moore, whose biggest career win came on the European Challenge Tour via the 2003 Skandia PGA Open, was thrilled with his display, which included just one dropped shot on the par-four 16th.
“It was a good start for me,” he said. “Conditions were nice out there and there were a lot of birdie opportunities.
“So seven under is right up there, I played really solid and I’m very happy with where I am. I think professionally, it’s definitely the best round I’ve played.”