Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan carded ten birdies and one bogey for a 9-under 63 and leads by three shots at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player.
“It was a brilliant day, very, very happy the way I played,” said Reitan. “Off the tee, in towards the greens, I was happy, and a couple of wedge shots that were really good, so that was nice to see, and I was rolling the putter well.
“So it was a great start and I’m very, very pleased.
“I’ve been working hard on [approach play recently and it’s good to have those days where you see that it’s improved, and I’m hoping I continue that.
“I haven’t had any particularly good results in South Africa so I’m hoping to change that this week. But I am playing better overall right now than I was when I played here previously so hoping that counts for something.”
Sweden’s Jesper Svensson made eagles at the par-5s 2nd and 9th as well as three birdies and one bogey for a 66 and a share of second place at 6-under.
Also in second place are England’s Marcus Armitage who made a double bogey at the par-5 9th for his 66 and France’s Adrien Saddier who stayed bogey-free.
Related: Elvis Smylie tied for lead on home soil
| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | REITAN, Kristoffer | -9 | 63 |
| 2 | SVENSSON, Jesper | -6 | 66 |
| | ARMITAGE, Marcus | -6 | 66 |
| | SADDIER, Adrien | -6 | 66 |
| 5 | NORRIS, Shaun | -4 | 68 |
| | MCKIBBIN, Tom | -4 | 68 |
| | GUERRIER, Julien | -4 | 68 |
| | DETRY, Thomas | -4 | 68 |
| | LI, Haotong | -4 | 68 |
| | HIGGO, Garrick | -4 | 68 |
| 11 | LINDELL, Oliver | -3 | 69 |
| | BRADBURY, Dan | -3 | 69 |
| | NORGAARD, Niklas | -3 | 69 |
| | POTGIETER, Aldrich | -3 | 69 |
| | FERGUSON, Ewen | -3 | 69 |
| | LEE, Junghwan | -3 | 69 |
| | LAWRENCE, Thriston | -3 | 69 |
| | CAMPILLO, Jorge | -3 | 69 |
| | HOVLAND, Viktor | -3 | 69 |
| 20 | VAN TONDER, Daniel | -2 | 70 |
| | SULLIVAN, Andy | -2 | 70 |
| | BEZUIDENHOUT, Christiaan | -2 | 70 |
| | SCHAPER, Jayden | -2 | 70 |
| | DEL REY, Alejandro | -2 | 70 |
| | TAYLOR, Nick | -2 | 70 |
| 26 | SYME, Connor | -1 | 71 |
| | JOHNSTON, Ryggs | -1 | 71 |
| | FORREST, Grant | -1 | 71 |
| | OLESEN, Thorbjørn | -1 | 71 |
| | LAGERGREN, Joakim | -1 | 71 |
| 31 | PENGE, Marco | Par | 72 |
| | PARRY, John | Par | 72 |
| | MANASSERO, Matteo | Par | 72 |
| | HOSHINO, Rikuya | Par | 72 |
| | PREMLALL, Yurav | Par | 72 |
| | LAMPRECHT, Christo | Par | 72 |
| | LUITEN, Joost | Par | 72 |
| | MANSELL, Richard | Par | 72 |
| | MOLINARI, Francesco | Par | 72 |
| | LARRAZÁBAL, Pablo | Par | 72 |
| 41 | RAVETTO, David | +1 | 73 |
| | VAN DRIEL, Darius | +1 | 73 |
| | CANTER, Laurie | +1 | 73 |
| | COUVRA, Martin | +1 | 73 |
| | SMITH, Jordan | +1 | 73 |
| | CHACARRA, Eugenio | +1 | 73 |
| | AYORA, Angel | +1 | 73 |
| | ROZNER, Antoine | +1 | 73 |
| | KATSURAGAWA, Yuto | +1 | 73 |
| 50 | HIDALGO, Angel | +2 | 74 |
| ELVIRA, Nacho | +2 | 74 | |
| | NAIDOO, Dylan | +2 | 74 |
| | MERONK, Adrian | +2 | 74 |
| 54 | STRYDOM, Ockie | +3 | 75 |
| | KRUYSWIJK, Jacques | +3 | 75 |
| | SIEM, Marcel | +3 | 75 |
| | ZALATORIS, Will | +3 | 75 |
| | VON DELLINGSHAUSEN, Nicolai | +3 | 75 |
| 59 | LACROIX, Frederic | +4 | 76 |
| | OLESEN, Jacob Skov | +4 | 76 |
| 61 | FRITTELLI, Dylan | +5 | 77 |
| | MIGLIOZZI, Guido | +5 | 77 |
| | HILL, Calum | +5 | 77 |
| 64 | WARING, Paul | +7 | 79 |
| 65 | VEERMAN, Johannes | +8 | 80 |
| 66 | GAVINS, Daniel | +9 | 81 |
Simon Bale
The editorial team at Golf Today strives to provide readers with captivating content that celebrates the rich heritage and exciting developments in the world of golf. Their collective expertise and dedication ensure that Golf Today remains a premier destination for golf enthusiasts seeking the latest news, insightful analysis, and engaging stories from the world of golf.