Birdie bonanzas lifted South Africans Martin Maritz and Tyrone Mordt to the top of the leaderboard on 62 after the first round of the Joburg Open on Thursday.
They claimed nine each and neither dropped a shot as the last of four tournaments on the South African leg of the Road to Dubai circuit began in pleasant, partly cloudy conditions.
Branden Grace carded a 63 and fellow South African Thomas Aiken and Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka a 64 each on a day when the par-71 Royal Johannesburg and Kensington east and west courses took a pounding.
Then comes a traffic jam with eight golfers shooting 65, 13 carding a 66 and 12 returning a 67 ahead of a weekend when thunderstorms threaten to disrupt play.
Defending champion and title favorite Charl Schwartzel of South Africa had to settle for a three-under 68, while a triple-birdie finish salvaged a 70 for Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland whose erratic round included a double bogey.
Maritz, playing the longer, more demanding east course late in the day, collected four birdies on his outward nine and another five coming back, including four in a row.
Mordt had halves of 31 on the west course with five birdies picked up by the turn and the rest came in a four-hole blitz in the US$1.75 million tournament, the richest of the co-sanctioned events in South Africa.
SONY OPEN
REUTERS, HONOLULU
The opening round of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open was postponed by 24 hours on Thursday because of a waterlogged course following heavy overnight rain.
The scheduled start was twice put back by organizers before any hope of play was abandoned at Waialae Country Club where practice facilities have been closed for the last two days.
Several fairways and bunkers on the tight, palm tree-lined course were unplayable and further rain is forecast in the Honolulu area later on Thursday and also yesterday.
Organizers hoped to play the first two rounds yesterday and today with the final 36 holes scheduled for tomorrow. The leading 60 players will advance after the tournament’s halfway cut.
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