Scott Steven O’Hara shares first round lead of South African Open with Jbe Kruger
The first round of the South African Open staged at the breathtaking Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, turned out to be an all-South African affair with just one exception on the top. Scott Steven O’Hara battled a rampaging blend of young and old South
Africans to finally clinch the lead, clearing the rest of the field by a single shot. He is now sharing the lead along with the leading South African player Jbe Kruger with a seven-under, 65, one shot clear of the grizzled Retief Goosen.
134th on The Race to Dubai, O’Hara needs a strong finish not anywhere below top-fourth to retain his playing status on the European Tour. The 31-year-old started with considerable aplomb, birdying two of the first three holes on the front nine but fell for
a terrible bogey on the fourth. He shot back into action at the seventh, with birdie and pulled in a glorious eagle at par-five, 8th before making the turn. He carded another three birdies to close his first round.
Meanwhile Kruger had a more solid day on the course, where he carded seven birdies in his unblemished round. He pulled in birdies on the last three holes to push for the lead. He will be utilising his experience of the home turf on the weekend to make his
bid for the title.
Goosen, continued with his rejuvenated form and jolted to the top grabbing early lead in the morning with a stunning eagle at par-four, 2nd. He pulled in another birdie on the next hole but dropped two consecutive shots at seventh and eighth to
fall back.
"I probably should have gone for the green at eight," Goosen said. "It was a bit of a poor finish, but I got lucky on the last."
Goosen carded another six birdies and dropped one shot on the back nine to close the round tied for the third along with David Hewan and Merrick Bremner.
Englishman Simon Dyson, poised at 32nd on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and is the highest ranking player in the event, finished for a disappointing 70 on the first day. Dyson has won twice on the European Tour this year and is hoping
to win another title before the season comes to an end.
South African Open is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour of South Africa.
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