Dan Bradbury tops the leaderboard after the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, alongside Nicolai Hojgaard, Vincent Norrman and Max Homa.
Friday 10 November 2023 11:39, UK
England's Dan Bradbury eagled his last hole for a six-under-par 66 and a four-way share of the lead after the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club on Thursday.
Bradbury tops the leaderboard with Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, who overcame a poor start to set the early pace. Sweden's Vincent Norrman and Max Homa from the United States also top the standings, in the tournament dubbed Africa's major.
Bradbury, 24, got off to a blistering start with four birdies in his first six holes but then dropped a shot before the turn.
He saved the best for last with the eagle on the par five ninth, having started his round off the 10th tee.
"To be honest, I was just trying to get it onto the green and two putt," he said.
"Just a very solid day. Got off to a good start, a few birdies early on and dropped one, which kind of annoyed me, so I had a bit of a point to prove after that, and obviously that finish was quite nice.
"If you just hit fairways, because of the altitude it doesn't play that long, so you give yourself a lot of chances."
Ryder Cup winner Hojgaard opened with a bogey five but quickly got his game back on track and hit eight birdies to take the early clubhouse lead.
Norrman, 25, who was making his debut in Sun City, made a steady start before his first birdie on the sixth hole and went on to score another five in a blemish-free round; maintaining his impressive form this year.
He said: "It was a lot of fun out there. It got pretty hot, but really enjoyed this place,"
Homa birdied three of his last five holes to shoot up the leaderboard and into a share of the overnight lead.
The defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, who has won the last two editions of the tournament, finished with a one-under 71 after the first round.
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