GOLF:MARTIN MARITZ and Tyrone Mordt shared the lead after the opening round of the Joburg Open yesterday, with both carding faultless, nine-under-par 62s, although they came on different sets of 18 holes at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
The two South Africans registered nine birdies each, including four in a row on the back nine, with Maritz’s effort coming on the longer and arguably tougher East Course, to lead by a shot from compatriot Branden Grace following his earlier 63.
This week’s co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour event is being played over two courses on the first two days – the rounds are divided between the East and West courses, both par 71, before the cut is made and the final two rounds are played on the east side.
Another local, Thomas Aiken, also excelled on the East after his 64 put him a on seven under and left him as the only other player in the top 10 to have gotten the more difficult 18 out of the way.
Also on that score was Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka, while eight players were another stroke back on six under par after 65s.
Among them were Britons Stuart Manley, Jamie Elson and Robert Dinwiddie, along with Norway’s Marius Thorp, Dutchman Floris de Vries and South African trio Peter-Henric McIntyre, Garth Mulroy and Divan van den Heever.
All three Irish competitors played the East course, and Colm Moriarty led the way on four under 67 after five birdies, including a hat-trick from the sixth, and one bogey.
Gareth Maybin shot a solid 69 with three birdies and one bogey, while Darren Clarke rescued his round with a storming finish, with birdies on the final three holes to sign for a 70 and stay in contention.
The man they were all chasing was Maritz, who has never won on tour and who recently took a break from golf due to frustration over his game.
Speaking after his round, which saw him begin with successive birdies, add a further two at six and eight and then conclude with five birdies in his last six holes, he admitted that despite suggestions the West course was easier, he felt otherwise.
“That’s what everybody thinks (the West course is easier), but over the last few years, I think I’ve played better on the East course,” Maritz said.
“I think it’s because in junior days and amateur days we played a lot of tournaments on that course. I think if I can shoot anything close to that tomorrow, I’ll be very, very happy.”
Defending champion Charl Schwartzel, playing with Clarke, had a solid, yet unspectacular, start to his tournament with a 68.
LEADING SCORES
(British unless stated, Irish in bold,
both courses par 71)
WEST COURSE
62 – T Mordt (Rsa) 63 – B Grace (Rsa) 64 – A Kaleka (Fra) 65 – J Elson, D Van Den Heever (Rsa), G Mulroy (Rsa), F De Vries (Ned), R Dinwiddie, P-H McIntyre (Rsa), S Manley, M Thorp (Nor) 66 – N Cheetham, G Murray, P Waring, P Gustafsson (Swe), A Cruse (Rsa), B Mannix, A Noren (Swe), D Dixon, J Donaldson, J Kamte (Rsa) 67 – A Gee, C Carranza (Arg), SSP Chowrasia (Ind), PG Van Zyl (Rsa), D Drysdale, M Warren, D Van Tonder (Rsa), P Oriol (Spa), D Pappas (Rsa) 68 – D Gaunt (Aus), M Nixon, A Garcia-Heredia (Spa), O Floren (Swe), A Georgiou (Rsa), J Cunliffe (Rsa), W Abery (Rsa), A Sjostrand (Swe), T Van Aswegen (Rsa), L Gagli (Ita), R Sterne (Rsa) 69 – J Harding (Rsa), JA Larsen (Nor), J du Buisson (Rsa), C Swanepoel (Rsa), P Edberg (Swe), K Ferrie, T Van der Walt (Rsa), D Vancsik (Arg), O Bekker (Rsa), T Spangenberg (Rsa), L Moolman (Rsa), F Colombo (Ita), D Greene (Rsa), T Ferreira (Rsa), B Etchart (Spa), C Coetzee (Rsa) 70 – D Botes (Rsa), J Haeggman (Swe), A Haig (Rsa), M A Carlsson (Swe), S Norris (Rsa), A Curlewis (Rsa), D Fichardt (Rsa), S Jamieson, S Ferreira (Rsa), R Finch, E Saltman, T Sefatsa (Rsa), B Wiesberger (Aut), M Murless (Rsa), M Quiros (Spa) 71 – A Haindl (Rsa), R Adams (Rsa), M Tullo (Chi), J Sandelin (Swe), D Fourie (Rsa), D Van der Walt (Rsa), S Walker, W Van der Merwe (Rsa), J Kruger (Rsa), T Olesen (Den), P Archer 72 – Y Jung (Rsa), J Blaauw (Rsa), B Pieters (Rsa), D McGuigan, D Willett, A McLardy (Rsa), A Jacobsson (Swe), T Sluiter (Ned), M Du Toit (Rsa), N Schietekat (Rsa)
EAST COURSE
62 – M Maritz (Rsa) 64 – T Aiken (Rsa) 66 – B Evans, R Rock, A Versfeld (Rsa) 67 – J-B Gonnet (Fra), Colm Moriarty, B Vaughan (Rsa), R McGowan 68 – M Ruiz (Par), R Kakko (Fin), J Kingston (Rsa), C Schwartzel (Rsa), A Marshall 69 – Gareth Maybin, M Bothma (Rsa), T Norret (Den), D Terblanche (Rsa), A Ahokas (Fin), J Senekal (Rsa), K Horne (Rsa), R Tipping (Rsa) 70 – C Whitelaw (Rsa), J Roos (Rsa), C Del Morral (Spa), Darren Clarke, G Coetzee (Rsa), S O’Hara, A Pistorius (Rsa), S Hutsby, S Hend (Aus), R Wattel (Fra), A Forsyth, S Little, S Garcia (Spa) 71 – M Bremner (Rsa), D O’Riley (Rsa), S Lewton, U Van den Berg (Rsa), A Michael (Rsa), V Dubuisson (Fra), S Wakefield, L Saltman, J Inglis (Rsa), L Slattery, G Muller (Rsa), C Williams (Rsa), A Roestoff (Rsa), D Lloyd (Rsa), David Hewan (Rsa) 72 – C Ries (Rsa), H Otto (Rsa), S Hansen (Den), R McEvoy, M Southgate, D Ferreira (Rsa), A Kang (US), JG Claassen (Rsa), T Shadbolt, E Tage Johansen (Nor), J Raphunga (Rsa), B Hebert (Fra), L Ndwandwe (Rsa) 73 – P Nelson (Rsa), B McDonald (Zim), J Little, TC Charamba (Zim), J Guerrier (Fra), M Korhonen (Fin), J Zapata (Arg), P Dwyer, J Sjoholm (Swe), M Carvell (Rsa), W Ormsby (Aus)
