Riding his good recent form, MJ Viljoen opened up his campaign to win an Asian Tour card through the Qualifying School-Final Stage with a six-under-par 65 and a share of fourth place after the first round of a 90-hole marathon.
After a solid start of a pair of pars on the first two holes, he went on a five-hole birdie spree which saw him reach the turn in 31. He was able to pick up just one more on his way home, on the 13th, and he finished two shots behind leader Wang Wei-hsuan of Taipei. Wang led by one from Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith and Wocheng Ye.
Luca Filippi opened with a two-under 69, Kyle Barker with a one-under 70, Jaco Prinsloo with a level-par 71 and Louis Albertse with a one-over 72.
