Defending champion Ross Fisher faces a tough test as he looks to retain his Tshwane Open title, with 2015's tournament boasting a strong field at the Pretoria Country Club in Waterkloof.
Local favourites George Coetzee and Jaco Van Zyl will be looking for good showings at this year's new venue, Fisher having prevailed at The Els Club in 2014.
A relatively short par-70, the course should prove challenging for all those involved, with some key European Tour players looking to make their mark in South Africa.
Read on for daily recaps as the action continues ahead of Sunday's climactic round.
Day 1 Recap
Denmark's Morten Orum Madsen and England's David Horsey lead the way after the first round of action at the Tshwane Open on Thursday, the pair both carding impressive seven-under rounds of 63.
A South African is just one shot further back in a tie for third, Wallie Coetsee having posted 64, with a number of top players sitting set to pounce in a strong chasing pack.
Here is how the leaderboard looks after Day 1:
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Madsen, fresh from his third-place finish at last week's Africa Open, opened up with a birdie on the 10th—his first hole—picking up another shot on the 16th.
His good-looking round became a stunner when he eagled his last two holes, firing an ace at the eighth ahead of a three at the par-five ninth, per the European Tour:
The Dane was unsurprisingly delighted with his day's work and will be looking to kick on after a terrific first round play, per the European Tour:
The last couple of weeks I’ve been hitting some shots really close and I actually said to my caddy last week that a hole in one is on the cards pretty soon. When your'e standing on the next tee your pretty confident and I hit a really nice drive and a great three iron second shot. It’s something you don’t expect but you dream about. I’ve found something in my game that’s working and I’ve been pretty consistent – the back nine I played really well and made a few which was good.
Horsey's was a faultless 18 holes, his card clear of an bogeys, but including seven valuable birdies—four of them in the last seven holes, per the Sunshine Tour:
Coetsee's impressive round of 64 included just a single bogey—on the 4th—and an eagle of his own on the 12th when he pitched in for a three.
Coetsee's compatriot Keith Horne sits in the group at five-under par after frustratingly bogeying two of the last three holes, although his birdie on 17 tempered his late blemishes well.
Defending champion Ross Fisher endured a frustrating day, picking up his first shots at the umpteenth opportunity as he pitched in for an eagle at the 12th, only to hand one back at the 16th as he finished with a round of one-under par with a 69. He's tied for 37th heading into Friday's second round.
George Coetzee's was an inconsistent round, but he finished with a three-under 67. He had six birdies that were mostly offset by three bogeys. The South African star is lurking at four shots back, but he's got to get more consistent quickly to compete for a victory.
With plenty of shots available on the course and much to challenge the players, it is set to be a very competitive week in Pretoria, and Horsey and Madsen will have to do well to stay in touch until Sunday.