George Coetzee opened with a birdie on Thursday, and then overcame a horror-three-hole run to finish the first round of the DP World Tour’s Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship at Royal Golf Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Coetzee, who is back on the tour after a lengthy injury absence, and is looking to resurrect his career there, made a bogey, a double-bogey and a bogey on the third, fourth and fifth holes. But he responded with a pair of birdies around the turn on nine and 10, and then made three more down the stretch, and he finished the day in a share of 35th.
Also on two-under was Dylan Frittelli, who started on the 10th, and made two birdies and a bogey on each of the nines.
They were the leading South Africans after the first round. At the top of the leaderboard, Brandon Robinson Thompson of England was three clear after he made two eagles, eight birdies and a bogey for his 11-under-par start. In second, his fellow countryman Callum Tarren was bogey-free for his eight-under 64.
Next-best of the South Africans were Louis de Jager, Deon Germishuys and Jacques Kruyswijk on one-under-par 71 in a share of 52nd.
