Mooinooi’s Jordan Wessels hit the front in the first round of the South African Stroke Play Championship at Mossel Bay Golf Club when he fired an eight-under-par 64 for a two-stroke lead on Tuesday.
He held that edge over fellow-countrymen Nelis de Bruin and Liam Ross and Gregor Tait of Scotland. Two more South Africans, Riaan Kotze and Logan Leisher, finished one shot further back in a share of fifth with Frenchman Noa Auch-Roy.
Scotland’s Jamie Mann, Michael Wallace from Zimbabwe and Vuyisani Makama from South Africa shared seventh on four-under, while fellow South African Golf Development Board member Johndre Ludick – hot off a top-five finish in last week’s Africa Amateur Championship – claimed a seat in the eight-man bus on three-under.
Wessels returned to South Africa in January after a brief stint in collegiate golf in the United States.
He attended the University of Nevada in Las Vegas from August last year and although he loved the facilities and the coaching, just felt the fit between himself and the golf there wasn’t right for him.
The 19-year-old North West golfer made an eagle, nine birdies and three bogeys for his 64 in the first round at Mossel Bay and his homeward nine had just two pars in it. “The course is gettable, I think but there are some tough holes where you have to take care,” he said.
“I was pleased to finish with four birdies in a row. The birdie on the par-three 15th was especially pleasing, because I don’t think that it’s one of the gettable holes. I hit a great tee shot and made a good putt.
“I smashed a drive out there on 16 and didn’t think I’d get on the green but I did, so that was a good result. The birdies on 17 and 18 were regulation really. The eagle on five was regulation too, really. Hit a good drive and I hit my approach to about four feet … and the rest is history.”
The Scot Tait has a number of South African appearances under his belt, including 21st in last year’s South African Stroke Play Championship. His best finish was 10th in this year’s Gauteng North Open Championship.
He, too, made a fast start with five birdies on his outward nine and took the sum total of his gains to six with another birdie on the second. An eagle on the fifth took him seven deep but he had his second bogey of the day on the seventh and parred his way home.
De Bruin is making his South African Stroke Play Championship debut and was pleased with his opening run.
The 18-year-old, who plays out of Wingate Park, made an eagle-two on the 10th and racked up seven birdies – including three in a row on the first three holes – and three bogeys for his 66.
“The three birdies up front were a great start for me,” he said. “The course was playing pretty easy for me today, especially in the morning field. There was no wind, and that always makes Mossel Bay a little easier.
“I hit a two-iron off the tee on 10 and lob-wedge in. I didn’t see the ball drop in the hole but when I hit it, it felt good.
“I’m going to try and put together another round like that and then get through 36 holes on the final day. It’s not my favourite thing to do, playing 36 in a single day but I’ll give it my best shot,” he added.
Eighteen 18 players are on three-under-par or better after the first round, including two Scots, two Frenchman, a Zimbabwean and Rakshit Dahiya from India, also making his debut in the second GolfRSA SA Swing event.
For that reason, the leader Wessels is not reading too much into his great opening salvo.
“I’m not getting too far ahead of myself,” he said. “There’s a lot of golf still to be played and you must take care of each day as it comes. But having a two-shot lead now is nice, even if I can’t get too excited by it. “
Scores
(All competitors RSA unless otherwise indicated)
64 - Jordan Wessels
66 - Nelis de Bruin; Gregor Tait (SCO)
67 - Riaan Kotze; Noa Auch-Roy (FRA); Logan Leisher
68 - Jamie Mann (SCO); Michael Wallace (ZIM); Vuyisani Makama
69 - Gerard Hartman; Ethan Govender; Joshua Wiese; Johndre Ludick; Octave Bailo (FRA); Roelof Craig; Rakshit Dahiya (IND); Keegan Daws
70 - Samuel Gouws; Werner Potgieter; Dian Kruger; Nicholas Lewis; Jordan Burnand; Nathan Schuldt; Daniel Copeman; Jack McDonald (SCO); Wandre Snyman; Dujuan Snyman; Andries van der Vyver; Janko van der Merwe; Ruben-Hein Churr; Max Hopkins (ENG); Kartik Singh (IND); Louka Morin (FRA); Othimna Matiwana; Juan Barnard; Christiaan Heyman
71 - Sean Paxton; Morris Schiefner (GER); Astin Arthur; Charl Barnard; Benjamin Weber; Shaun Viljoen
72 - Damian Osner; Ben Willis (ENG); Arin Ahuja (IND); Jeré Brits; Jandre Van Niekerk; Amicus de Beer; Siebert Wiid; Lourens Maritz; Saul Moss
73 - Devon Valentine; Cilliers Craig; Andrew Georgiou; Timothy Daniels; Matthew Mortimer; Thobelan Blessing; Sebastian Greenan; Harry Watkins (WAL); Matthew Dennis; Cameron Mukherjee (SCO); Franco Bester; Kass Muller; Joshua Edwards; Deagan Erfmann; Craig Jacobs; Liam McKenna; Henru Walters
74 - Henk Geldenhuys; Ross Els; Tylor Phillips; Tobias de Flamingh; Bradley de Beer; Julius Heinemann (GER); Nicolas van der Vyver; Ivan Verster
75 - Marno Lange; Fabrizio de Abreu; Pieter Zietsman; Dandre Karstens; Zack Blaauw; Zander Nel; Dylan Melville; Mitch Phigeland; Maurits Sasse (GER)
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