Golf: Gareth Maybin made a storming start to the South African Open today after shooting an opening round of 66 to lie just two shots off the overnight lead at Pearl Valley Golf Estates.
The 28-year-old started at the 10th and was four-under by the time he reached the turn. Further birdies came at the second, fifth, seventh and eighth but the day did end on a slightly sour note.
Standing on the ninth tee, his final hole, the Ballyclare native was in dreamland, eight-under par, bogey free and in possession of the lead. However, he succumbed to a double bogey six and had to settle for a 66.
At six-under the Challenge Tour graduate, who represented Ireland alongside Michael Hoey in last year's World Cup in Mission Hills in China, is just two shots off the pace.
Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti leads the way on eight-under after an impressive 64, which contained just the one dropped shot at the tenth and nine birdies. The 25-year-old Paraguayan is one shot ahead of Sweden's Oskar Henningsson.
Zanotti's highest position in only his second season on the European Tour was a tie for 12th place at the Methorios Capital Italian Open in May, but he showed little sign of his inexperience in Paarl.
Maybin is one eight players in a share of third, including South Africa's Rory Sabbatini, playing in his first home Open, and England's Lee Westwood.
Four-time champion Ernie Els and two-time winner Tim Clark were among a group of five players to finish on five-under, with England's Justin Rose and South African Immelman a further two shots back.
Swede Henrik Stenson, the highest ranked player in the 156-man field, ended his day on two-under along with home favourite Retief Goosen and Holywood teenager Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy's fellow countryman Darren Clarke was one of few big names to suffer in the opening round. Five bogeys and three birdies saw him finish on two-over.
McIlroy, who is attempting to remain in the world's top 50 - he is currently 50th - to secure a place in next year's US Masters, was joined on two-under by Hoey and Meath's Damien McGrane. Gary Murphy was level par.
World number 10 Westwood, who played alongside Masters champion Trevor Immelman and last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Richard Sterne in an afternoon tee-off, was faultless through his first 18 holes and admitted afterwards that he could not have asked for a better start.
"I played pretty solidly and all good pretty much," he said. "I drove the ball lovely and missed just one fairway at the second by about four feet.
"I was aggressive with the golf course and hit a lot of drivers and irons. I like the golf course and I've always liked playing Jack (Nicklaus) courses. You can play them conservatively, but you obviously don't have the opportunities to attack the flag.
"So if you have a good, straight driver then you can get an advantage. I did that today and putted quite nicely and made the ones that mattered."
Sabbatini said: "All things considered, it's a great day out there. I'm really feeling good at the moment.
"The course is in great condition and really prepared nicely and set up nicely. There are some low scores out there if you can control the golf ball."
- additional reporting PA
Collated first round scores in the European Tour SA Open Championship, Pearl Valley Golf Estates, Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):
64Fabrizio Zanotti (Par)
65Oskar Henningsson (Swe)
66Richie Ramsay, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Gareth Maybin, Keith Horne (Rsa), Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Lee Westwood, Ross McGowan
67Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Ernie Els (Rsa), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Tim Clark (Rsa), Simon Dyson
68Chris Wood, Hennie Otto (Rsa), Lee Slattery, Alessandro Tadini (Ita), David Frost (Rsa), James Kamte (Rsa), Albert Pistorius (Rsa)
69Martin Wiegele (Aut), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Branden Grace (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), George Coetzee (Rsa), Marco Ruiz (Par), Justin Rose, Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Richard Finch, Peter Karmis (Rsa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Carlos Del moral (Spa)
70John Mellor, Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Damien McGrane, Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Mathias Gronberg (Swe), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Rory McIlroy, Adrian Ford (Rsa), Warren Abery (Rsa), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Dion Fourie (Rsa), Michael Hoey, Henrik Stenson (Swe), Anton Haig (Rsa), David Horsey, Estanislao Goya (Arg), Jake Roos (Rsa), Gary Clark, Len Mattiace (USA),Retief Goosen (Rsa), Alan Michell (Rsa)
71Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Rossouw Loubser (Rsa), Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Antti Ahokas (Fin), Callum Mccaulay, Alex Haindl (Rsa), Jean Hugo (Rsa), Alan McLean, Andrew Coltart, Scott Drummond, David Lynn, Ryan Tipping (Rsa), Mark Foster
72Patrik Sjoland (Swe), James Kingston (Rsa), Shaun Norris (Rsa), Bradford Vaughan (Rsa), Johan Edfors (Swe), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa), Neil Schietekat (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa), Titch Moore (Rsa), Christian Cevaer (Fra), Steve Basson (Rsa), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Andrew Curlewis (Rsa), Andre Cruse (Rsa), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Gary Lockerbie, Grant Muller (Rsa), Gary Murphy, Justin Walters (Rsa), Christopher Doak, Richard Sterne (Rsa)
73Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Brett Liddle (Rsa), Robert Dinwiddie, Paul Waring, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe), Grant Veenstra (Rsa), Christiaan Basson (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg), Dylan Frittelli (Rsa), Lorenzo null Gagli (Ita), Gavan Levenson (Rsa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
74Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Dean O'riley (Rsa), Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Euan Little, Danny Willett, Darren Clarke, Seve Benson, Peter Hanson (Swe), David Drysdale, Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Mark Williams (Rsa), Vaughn Groenewald (Rsa)
75Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Tc Charamba (Zim), Ryan Cairns (Zim), Bradley Davison (Rsa), Wil Besseling (Ned), Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Sam Walker, Wallie Coetsee (Rsa), Teboho Sefatsa (Rsa), Mark Murless (Rsa), Steve Van Vuuren (Rsa)
76Nic Henning (Rsa), Ross Wellington (Rsa), Jake Redman (Rsa), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Taco Remkes (Ned), David Dixon, Chris Williams (Rsa), Cameron Johnston (Rsa)
77Dean Lambert (Rsa), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Doug McGuigan, Omar Sandys (Rsa)
78Alexandre Rocha (Bra), Henk Alberts (Rsa), Josh Cunliffe (Rsa), Derik Ferreira (Rsa)
79John Bele (Rsa), Mikhail Tewary (Rsa)
80Thabang Simon (Rsa), Jbe Kruger (Rsa)
81Heinrich Bruiners (Rsa)
84Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa)
