Nedbank Golf Challenge; Paddy takes the lead in the first round
The Thursday round gave Padraig Harrington an opportunity, which he grabbed on time and surged into lead. Paddy fired six birdies on the mesmerizing Gary Player Golf Club, which is situated in the Sun City, South Africa.
Nedbank Golf Challenge kicked off with 12 players and a purse of $5 million. The tournament is a joint venture of European and Sunshine Tour and every year it comes to the Sun City with a very small, but powerful field.
The veteran, who won the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia, picked the first birdie at the second last hole of the front nine. The crowd roared with excitement and to give a quick response, the Irishman reeled one more birdie.
On the other hand, Ross Fisher took his turn and smashed a superb round to jump into the lead. However, the Englishman missed a turn on the 17th and earned a double bogey, which brought his score down. However, the
player made his way to the 18th tee, just then the play came to halt, owing to the rain and lightening. When the game resumed, Ross fished out one more birdie at the last putt and surged back into lead with Padraig Harrington.
World number one, Lee Westwood could not set a mark, owing to the slow start. The Englishman teed off from the front, but could not pick a single point until he reached the seventh; however, on his way to the back nine, Westy reeled
five birdies and wrapped the first round at 68.
Westwood dropped a shot at the par-4 sixth and that was the only blemish on his scorecard. Westy was not happy with his game, but he was satisfied that he regained his game after a slow start. Westy said, “It was good to bounce
back straight away and I played pretty solidly from there on in. All in all, I'm quite pleased - 68 is a nice way to start. I enjoy playing here, it suits my eye."
A stroke below Westy was his Ryder Cup teammate, Miguel Angel Jimenez. The Spaniard is out of form, because of the fatigue and tiresome routine ever since the Ryder Cup. However, he seems to show some improvement with his swings,
but has a long way to go. Further below, was the duo of the defending champion Robert Allenby and Justin Rose.
The four South Africans failed to meet the expectations of the fans. Louis Oosthuizen helped a round of one-under to join the winner of PGA Grand Slam, Ernie Els, and Edoardo Molinari. All three veterans behaved as a rookie on
the par-72 course. Retief Goosen faltered on the front and failed to rise up in the back. However, he managed to keep himself on par, unlike Tim Clark, who scored a 73 after drafting a triple-bogey seven on the sixth hole.
The day ended with Padraig Harrington in the lead. Paddy faced a terrible year with high scores and zilch victories. However, Iskandar Johor Open ended his dry season and the player finally revived his charm.
Paddy was very happy with his achievement. While walking back to the clubhouse, Paddy said, “I am very happy with that. I do not feel on top of my game, but I'm going to have to use all my grit over the next three days ... it is
going to be some good golf and some bad golf. But if I work at it, I can do the job."
The Nedbank Golf Challenge has stepped into the second round with twelve strongest players of the world. Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher took their chance on lead and succeeded. However, will they keep it vaulted until the end
of the tournament is a question, which will be answered soon.
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