South African Open Golf Championship, first round
Rain proved lucky for Retief Goosen, who surged into the lead alongside Alex Cejka, in the first round of the South African Open.
The duo shot a score of eight-under-par-64, after the delay and pushed the earlier leaders a stroke behind. Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel held the reigns of the round with the help of six birdies, one eagle, and a single bogey each.
However, they could not stand a chance against the two veterans, who had more to offer. The first round kicked off at 7a.m, according to Africa’s standard time. The overcast weather created the silent effect among the field, which knew that trouble was staring from the top. Despite all odds, 59 players managed to remain at par, whereas, rest of the field crumbled because of the rain.
Retief Goosen stepped up onto the Bermuda grass of tenth tee and parred the first two holes to get accustomed to the requirements. The getting to know each other sequel did not take long and Goosen fired the first set of triplet birdies on the par-72 Durban Country Club. The leader tripped off on the 17th hole, when the second shot failed to find the fairway and hit a bogeyman.
However, Goosen did not let the Bogeyman take control and hence hammered a fabulous eagle on the closing hole of the back nine. The South African strolled towards the first tee on his golf cart but rain brought the round to a premature end.
Meanwhile, Ernie Els made full use of his skills and smashed six birdies and one eagle, despite the rain. Soon Schwartzel, who compiled an identical scorecard, surged into a temporary lead.
Els could not help but cherish his own game in front of the press. He said, “I missed quite a few putts on the front nine and was getting a little annoyed with myself, but I played a really solid back nine. You know I just hit the ball really nicely and that's something I can take out of today. I really feel like I am solid from tee to green and you need to be on this course. Hopefully that back nine will give me a lot of confidence for the weekend".
The lead was temporary for the two South Africans as their compatriot stole their limelight on the next day. Goosen birdied the first hole, eagled the third, birdie two more and broke the Ernie-Charl partnership.
Expressing his sentiments Goosen said, "Obviously, that's the way you want to start. It went nicely for me yesterday, those four holes in the rain, when I managed to get two birdies and then on the first this morning I got another one to keep the momentum going. I am off to a good start so hopefully I can try and start building on this tomorrow afternoon. Then we'll see what happens on Sunday if we play 36 or 18".
Alex Cejka followed the footsteps of Goosen and reeled eight birdies against no loss on the second day, to join the South African in the lead. The German could not help but smile on his way to the clubhouse. He told the press that he was not pleased with the practice session but the first 18 holes turned out to be good for him. He further added that he was looking forward to a similar performance in the next three rounds, as they would determine his year end.
Cejka is a four-time winner on the European Tour and if he becomes lucky then this Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned title will add one more trophy to his showcase. The second round of the tournament will be subject to the weather and will lead to a half way cut for the last two rounds.
Organizers have decided the top-fifty mark as the cut-off point. Therefore, a serious battle is expected in the second round of the South African Open, which will take place on the Durban Country Club to mark the end of the Sunshine Tour.
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