Scott Jamieson made the strongest start of the Scottish contingent in South Africa on the opening day of the Tshwane Open yesterday.
South Africa’s Louis de Jager claimed a one-shot lead as home players looked to continue their dominance of the event.
Initially played at Copperleaf before switching to Pretoria Country Club in 2015, the tournament has produced four South African winners in five years, with George Coetzee, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester the victors at the current venue.
Burmester and Schwartzel are competing in this week’s WGC-Mexico Championship instead, but 2015 champion Coetzee is in the field and the pre-tournament favourite carded an opening 67 to lie three off the pace set by compatriot De Jager.
De Jager, whose best European Tour result to date came when he finished third in the inaugural Tshwane Open in 2013, birdied three of his last four holes.
It completed a flawless seven-under 64 and allowed him to lead by one from Thomas Aiken, Julian Suri and Felipe Aguilar.
Glaswegian Jamieson is tied seventh after a round of 67 which included six birdies and two bogeys.
David Drysdale is next best-placed Scot on two under after a 69, despite dropping three shots over his final three holes.
Grant Forrest and Connor Syme both opened with rounds of 70, while Grantown’s Duncan Stewart started with a level-par 71.
South African-based Scot Doug McGuigan and European Tour rookie Bradley Neil both have work to do to make the cut after finishing the day tied 97th after rounds of 72.
But world number 547 De Jager was thrilled to top the leaderboard after a storming first round.
He said: “It is a very nice start.
“It is nice to go off in the morning and then post a score like that so I am very pleased.
“The course is a bit easier than the previous years, because it is a bit softer and the greens are holding much better.
“But the rough is still up so you’ve got to hit it straight and that definitely helps.
“I have been working quite hard on my game so it is nice to see some good results over the last few months.”
Coetzee, who has been a member of Pretoria Country Club since he took up the sport, carded five birdies and an eagle on the par-five ninth, but also dropped shots on the second, fifth and 10th.
England’s Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion who has slipped to 210th in the world rankings and who has missed the cut in all three of his events so far this season, is six shots off the pace after two birdies and one bogey in an opening round of 70.
