Ireland’s Padraig Harrington rode out electrical storms and a two-hour break in play record seven birdies and a lone bogey in an opening round of 66 that gave the three-time Major winner a one shot lead over Ryder Cup team-mate Ross Fisher at the 30th Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City.
Having dropped his first shot of the day at the 17th, Harrington hit a fine approach on 18 and drained the subsequent putt to ensure he starts the second day alone in first place. The Irishman clearly felt he had improvements to make, however, heading straight from the course to put himself through an extensive warm-down after his round; while Harrington caught his breath, his closest challenger made it clear that there’s a long way to go for the Irishman yet.
“I’m delighted to be back, I’m enjoying my time here, and hopefully I’ll go one better than last year,” said second-placed Fisher, who missed out on the four-man play-off in 2009 by a single shot. Fisher made eight birdies in a round that confirmed both his pedigree, and how well suited his big-hitting game is for the Gary Player Country Club layout, and had he not made a double bogey six on 17, after chipping out from a poor drive, hitting his third long, and three-putting, he’d have finished the day on top. “The course is in great shape, and the rough isn’t up,” Fisher added, which suggested that some low rounds await over the next three days.
A winning score of 16-under is the prediction of the man lying in third place — and when the world number one speaks, golfers listen. “The rough isn’t as bad as in the past,” was Lee Westwood’s assessment, echoing the sentiment of Fisher, “and I think 16 could be the number. But the altitude’s a factor, and so is the wind, which tends to swirl around. This is a real thinker’s course, and if you short side yourself on a hole it can punish you.”
Westwood was a little unlucky, good drives on the first and tenth holes just catching traps and preventing birdie opportunities, but it was a good day all round for a player still shrugging off the last of a calf injury that’s not affecting his swing, but does cut down on practice and training time. “It’s not quite right, but after this I’ve got six weeks off before Abu Dhabi, so I should be able to hit 2011 all ready.”
A 68 from the evergreen Miguel Angel Jimenez, colourful as ever on the course, was good enough for fourth place, one clear of Justin Rose and defending champion Robert Allenby, while a missed eight-footer on the last cost Ernie Els a shot, and summed up a frustrating day for the local favourite. Returning to Sun City after a two-year sabbatical, Els lies in a tie for seventh with Italian debutante Eduardo Molinari, and Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who threatened the leaders early, but offset four early birdies with a double on four and a further bogey to finish with 71. Retief Goosen and Anders Hansen ended the day level, while a disappointing day for Tim Clark saw him bring up the field with a one-over 73.
Earlier in the day, three-time former champion Nick Price shares the lead in the Nedbank Senior Golf Challenge with American Jeff Sluman at two-under-par. It had looked as though South African Fulton Allem would hold a clear lead, the 1988 champion picking up four birdies in the opening six holes, but a poor back nine saw Allem sign for a 71; still, the smiling veteran enthused about “reliving great memories” on his return to the Gary Player Country Club, and at just one back is well in contention.
It was Europe’s day all round, though, the South African quartet having a lot of work to do to deliver on home hopes this week, and with Westwood’s post-round enthusiasm tempered by disappointment at England’s failure to win the right to host the 2018 World Cup, there’s added incentive for him and Fisher to cheer up English fans. “We’ve just got to grin and bear it,” was the world number one’s response to the football decision; if the European assault continues through the rest of the tournament, South African fans may be adopting a similar approach come Sunday. Don’t count the locals out just yet, though.
