PRETORIA: South African Darren Fichardt birdied eight holes en route to a seven-under-par 65 and a one-shot first round lead in the maiden Tshwane Open golf championship yesterday.
The 37-year-old from Pretoria was continuing good recent form which saw him surive late final-round jitters to win the Africa Open by two strokes in East London two weeks ago.
A bogey five on the seventh -- the third last hole for Fichardt as he started at the 10th -- was the sole blemish over the par-72 7,791-yard (7,124-metre) Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate course south-west of here.
He had five birdies on his front nine of a course designed by South African golf legend Ernie Els and a further three on his second nine before he came to grief at the 390-yard (357-metre) seventh hole.
“What a funny game,” said four-time European Tour winner Fichardt.
“I birdied all of the tough holes on this great course and then I bogey the easiest one. That is how this game is ”I got a bad bounce off the tee and it went into a bunker. Despite a horrendous lie, I managed to get my second to the front edge of the green, chipped it close and missed the short putt.”
Fichardt is one stroke ahead of Bjorn Akesson of Sweden in the 1.5-million-euro tournament.
AFP
