South African Ulrich van den Berg produced putting that matched the scorching Malalane weather to take a one-stroke first-round lead on Thursday in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Van den Berg brushed aside some bad memories of the par-72 Leopard Creek course bordering the world renowned Kruger National Park with a 64 in a tournament co-sanctioned by the South African and European tours.
Swede Pelle Edberg was alone in second spot while Italian Edoardo Molinari and South African Titch Moore each fired 66 to share third place in the first event of the 2009-2010 Road to Dubai European order of merit.
Former champion Charl Schwartzel is among those on 67, local favourite Ernie Els shot a 68 but defending champion Richard Sterne had to settle for a par 72 as he grapples with a swing problem.
Dane Thomas Bjorn, a nine-time winner on the European tour, slumped to a 79 and 2007 Dunhill Championship winner John Bickerton of England fared even worse with a nine-over 81, the second poorest round of the opening day.
Van den Berg crumbled on the back nine during the final round of the 2005 edition to surrender a three-stroke advantage and Els snatched the title while his shattered compatriot abandoned the game for several months.
It was an anxious Van den Berg who teed off at the 6 0472-metre course in the eastern province of Mpumalanga as he confessed to being ”mentally all over the show” ahead of the one-million-euro championship.
He turned three under after playing the back nine first with some of his putts reaping birdies and others salvaging par before unleashing a birdie blitz that brought five within six holes.
The putt of the day for 34-year-old East London-born Van den Berg was delivered at the par-four fourth with a 35-footer dropping into the cup for a birdie.
”I felt peaceful and relaxed out there,” he boasted. ”For me it always depends on my putting. If my putting is good I feel I can relax,” he told reporters.
Edberg, hoping to better a joint-sixth finish last year, joked after his 65 that he made the earliest birdie of his life on a course where the lakes have crocodiles and hippos and lions can sometimes be spotted beyond a fence.
”I was on the practice tee at twenty to six and made my first birdie 65 minutes later. That is the earliest birdie I have made in my career. — AFP
