GOLF JOBURG OPEN: THIS YEAR'S intake of Irish graduates on the European Tour appear to know no fear with Michael Hoey the latest player to make an impression after yesterday's opening 64 left the Belfast professional one shot off the lead at the Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The week before Christmas Hoey's friend and travel companion Gareth Maybin came close to his maiden tour victory, only to lose the South African Open in a play-off to home favourite Richard Sterne.
In the first tournament of the New Year Hoey got off to the ideal start.
The 29-year-old played almost flawless golf by carding eight birdies with just the one dropped shot coming at the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
The 2001 British Amateur champion birdied the opening hole before further birdies at the fourth, sixth and eighth brought him to the turn in four-under 32.
The inward nine started just as brightly as he picked up shots with back-to-back birdies from the 10th plus a two at the short 16th.
However, Hoey gave a shot back at the 17th but immediately bounced back with a birdie on the closing par-five 18th in the co-sanctioned event between the European and Sunshine Tours.
Yesterday's seven-under round was a staggering 11 shots better than his opening round in the same event 12 months ago when he went on to miss the cut, a point Hoey was all too aware of this time around.
"I am pretty happy, I played here last year and the weather wasn't great," said Hoey after his 64. "It didn't help that I wasn't playing well (last year). I knew then that the East Course was playing tough and it was really long.
"But today it was pretty hot so the ball was going longer and that helped. I got off to a good start as well, so it was pretty good.
"I had probably one of the only poor swings of the day on 17 and that cost me. But I actually played solid," he added.
Hoey finds himself one shot behind overnight leaders, Trevor Fisher Jnr from South Africa and Sweden's Steven Jeppesen, who both carded 63s.
Jeppesen's round contained two eagles at the second and seventh and were consolidated with five birdies and just the one dropped shot at the ninth.
Defending champion Sterne is the highest ranked player in the field (43rd) and he opened with a level par 71, one shot more than compatriot Retief Goosen.
Sterne is attempting to become the first player since Seve Ballesteros in 1986 to win three European Tour events on the spin after his December successes on home soil at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, followed by the play-off victory against Maybin.
Michael McGeady (71) was next best of the Irish contingent on level par, one better than former Walker Cup duo, Jonathan Caldwell and Noel Fox, who both shot 72s. The trio have their work cut out if they are to be around for the weekend.
Fox, who topped the 2008 PGA Europro order of merit and has Pádraig Harrington's caddy Ronan Flood on the bag this week, mixed three birdies with four bogeys in his round.
Hoey earned his full playing rights for a second time this season.
His rookie season on the main tour came in 2006 but he failed to keep his card and reverted to the Challenge Tour where he has won three times.
His maiden win came in the co-sanctioned BA-CA Golf Open in Austria in 2005 before adding the long-winded Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata in 2007 and the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic last year.
Hoey also represented Ireland in the 2007 World Cup at Mission Hills in China when he and Maybin, his fellow stablemate at Horizon Sports Management, finished 24th behind eventual winners Scotland, who were represented by Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren.
JOBURG OPEN FIRST ROUND SCORES
Royal Johannesburg and Kensington GC, South Africa
(British unless stated, Irish in bold, par 71)
63- Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa).
64- Michael Hoey(N Ire).
65- Patrik Sjoland (Swe), David Drysdale, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Andrew McLardy (Rsa).
66- Peter Kaensche (Nor), Jan Are Larsen (Nor), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Michele Reale (Ita), Martin Maritz (Rsa).
67- David Carter, Hennie Otto (Rsa), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Brett Liddle (Rsa), Jean Hugo (Rsa), Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Danny Willett, Omar Sandys (Rsa), James Morrison, Alexandre Rocha (Bra), Carl Suneson (Spa), Oliver Bekker (Rsa), Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Taco Remkes (Ned), Justin Walters (Rsa), James Ruth.
68- Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa), Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Anders Schmidt Hansen (Den), Dion Fourie (Rsa), Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Charl Coetzee (Rsa), Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Martin Wiegele (Aut), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Richie Ramsay, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Bobby Lincoln (Rsa), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Kasper Linnet Jorgensen (Den), David Dixon, Callie Swart (Rsa), Keith Horne (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg), Christopher Doak.
69- Carlos Del Moral (Spa), Steve Lewton, Mikko Korhonen (Fin), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), John E Morgan, Ryan Thompson (Rsa), Federico Colombo (Ita), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa), Prinavin Nelson (Rsa), Chris Wood, Richard McEvoy, Andrew Curlewis (Rsa), Jake Roos (Rsa), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Gary Lockerbie, Phillip Archer, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Andrew Wilson (Rsa), Wes Heffernan (Can), Nic Henning (Rsa), Doug McGuigan, Grant Veenstra (Rsa), Kevin Stone (Rsa), Joel Sjoholm (Swe), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Vaughn Groenewald (Rsa), David Hewan (Rsa), Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Henk Alberts (Rsa), Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Chris Williams (Rsa), James Kamte (Rsa).
70- Chris Gane, Branden Grace (Rsa), Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Andre Bossert (Swi), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Warren Abery (Rsa), Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Tyrone Mordt (Rsa), Peter Whiteford, Estanislao Goya (Arg), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), TC Charamba (Zim), Ryan Cairns (Zim), Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Dominique Nouailhac (Fra), Grant Muller (Rsa), Mark Haastrup (Den), Christiaan Basson (Rsa), Retief Goosen (Rsa), Edrich Jansen (Rsa), Dylan Frittelli (Rsa), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), Ruan Botha (Rsa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa).
71- Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Michael McGeady(Ire), James Kingston (Rsa), Anders Hansen (Den), Liam Bond, Gerhard Trytsman (Rsa), Ockie Strydom (Rsa), Iain Pyman, Dale Marmion, Jacques Blaauw (Rsa), Alex Haindl (Rsa), Steve Basson (Rsa), Garry Houston, Alan McLean, Morne Buys (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Dawie Van der Walt (Rsa), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Marcus Higley, Nico Van Rensburg (Rsa), Richard Sterne (Rsa).
72- Jonathan Caldwell(N Ire), John Mellor, Leif Westerberg (Swe), Graham De Laet (Can), Noel Fox(Ire), Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice), David Frost (Rsa), Johan Etsebeth (Rsa), Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Wil Besseling (Ned), Thabang Simon (Rsa), Antti Ahokas (Fin), Cameron Johnston (Rsa), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Sam Little, Anthony Grenier (Fra), Anton Haig (Rsa), Keenan Davidse (Rsa), Andre Cruse (Rsa), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Sion Bebb, Gary Clark, Rolf Muntz (Ned), Sam Walker, Wallie Coetsee (Rsa).
73- Neil Cheetham, Steven O'Hara, Simon Griffiths, Gregory Molteni (Ita), Johan De Buisson (Rsa), Andrew McArthur, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Roland Steiner (Aut), Mark Murless (Rsa), Darryn Lloyd (Rsa), Marc Farry (Fra), Richard Bland, Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Stuart Manley, Bradley Davison (Rsa), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Ryan Tipping (Rsa).
74- Reggie Adams (Rsa), Andrew Butterfield, Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa), Eugene Marugi (Rsa), Josh Cunliffe (Rsa), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Heinrich Bruiners (Rsa), Johan Wahlqvist (Swe), Bradford Vaughan (Rsa), Louis De jager (Rsa), Callum Macaulay, Ross Wellington (Rsa), Louis Moolman (Rsa), Teboho Sefatsa (Rsa), Michael Curtis (Zim), Van Phillips.
75- Alphuis Kelapile (Rsa), Jonathan Lomas, Derik Ferreira (Rsa), Riaan De Bruyn (Rsa), Steve Van Vuuren (Rsa).
76- Titch Moore (Rsa), Ben Evans, Andre Ferreira (Rsa), Pg Van zyl (Rsa), Lars Brovold (Nor), Javier Colomo (Spa), Rafael Echenique (Arg).
77- Stuart Davis, Des Terblanche (Rsa), Neil Schietekat (Rsa).
78- Dean Lambert (Rsa), Simon Wakefield, Mohammed Tayob (Rsa).
79- David Griffiths.
80- Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Emmanuel Masoliedze (Rsa).
82- Musolo Nethunzwi (Rsa).
84- John Bele (Rsa).
