Dylan Frittelli was one of three South Africans in a share of ninth after the first round on Thursday of the DP World Tour’s FedEx Open de France at Le Golf National with his opening four-under-par 67.
Frittelli made five birdies and a bogey, as did Justin Harding, while Brandon Stone made an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys as they joined six other players in ninth, just two strokes off the first-round lead.
Up front, it was a three-way tie for the lead at six-under between England’s Joe Dean, Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and Sweeden’s Jesper Svensson. They led by one from five players, including the impressive amateur, Lev Grinberg.
Grinberg, the 16-year-old Ukrainian, is living in dormitories at Le Golf National while he works with the French Golf Federation Academy to develop his game, and it paid off with two separate runs of three straight birdies in his 66.
He was joined at five-under by his German playing partner Yannik Paul, Saddier, Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti and Dane Nicolai Højgaard.
Robin Williams, playing in the tournament after his fourth-place finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links last week, was the next-best South African after his opening 0ne-under-par 70. He made just a single birdie without dropping a shot to be in a share of 43rd.
Casey Jarvis and MJ Daffue were on level-par in a share of 58th.
