Gerard Pepler produced an eventful round of five-under-par 67 to take a slender one-shot lead after round one of the IGT Challenge Tour’s Road To #2 at ERPM Golf Club on Monday.
Teeing off from the first hole of the golf course, Pepler was quick off the mark; going two-under after four holes thanks to birdies on the par-five second and fourth holes at ERPM. The par-three fifth proved tricky to tame and Pepler dropped a shot there. He was quick to recover, birdieing the sixth, making par on seven and a double-bogey on the eighth. This time, too, Pepler recovered with a birdie on the next hole, the ninth.
That birdie was followed by two more before Pepler went on a course-management stretch, avoiding more big numbers and searching for opportunities. He made pars from the 12th through to the 16th and those were followed by an eagle on 17 for a round of 67.
He holds a single-stroke lead over the duo of Brandon Gildenhuys and Gregory McKay after they both shots 68s. Gildenhuys had three birdies and a single drop on the front nine with the back nine also characterised by the same number of birdies and a bogey.
As for McKay, his scorecard was only blemished by the double-bogey he made on the 10th en route to a 68 of his own to share the second spot.
Matthew Rushton signed carded an opening-round 69 to occupy fourth on the leaderboard while Marthin Scheepers and Ruan Groenewald share the fifth after an opening 70 each. A shot further, DK Kim and Nicholas Adams share seventh while veteran Ryan Tipping finds himself in a seven-way share of ninth.
