It was a career-low round for JJ Senekal on Thursday as he blazed his way to a 10-under-par 62 in the first round of the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour co-sanctioned SDC Open at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa.
It was a round he felt was really just around the corner, and, with two eagles, seven birdies and a bogey, it put him two clear of a superb eight-under-par 64 from rookie Martin Vorster. Three player shared third on seven-under-par 65, Spaniards Victor Garcia Broto and Victor Pastor and South African Herman Loubser.
“I’ve been waiting for a low score like that and I knew it was coming soon,” said Senekal. “With the results I’ve been getting in the past three or four months, it had to be soon.” He’s finished sixth four times since October last year, the most recent being last week in the Dimension Data Pro-Am.
With 74 players at two-under or better, the course was clearly there for the getting, but it still takes playing. And Senekal got after it after starting his round on the 10th hole. “I got off to a hot start, shooting 30 on m9 front nine,” he said of an opening nine that included six threes, which included an eagle on the 15th, and just a par on the closing 18th.
“Then I made eagle on my 11th – the second – which I knew was going to help a good round. Then a bit of a lapse of concentration on the third when I took the wrong club, but I came back pretty strongly after that.
“Two eagles kind of surprised me. I hit two good iron shots and rolled in two good putts. The score it out there. You can fire at flags with soft greens. They were both pretty short irons and just went straight at it and they felt good.”
Vorster’s round included an eagle, eight birdies and a double-bogey. “This morning on the range I didn’t have the greatest session but we went out with the mindset that I’ve been playing well so I’ll just keep committing to shots, and I’m very happy with the result. I love being in the bushveld and the course suits me,” he said.
Two shots behind the trio in a share of third were 11 players on five-under-par in a share of sixth, and 16 0n four-under in a share of 17th. All of them were well aware that five or six shots back is both not that much and also a yawning chasm when a course is giving up birdies to someone like Senekal.
“I played well last time I played here,” he said. “It kind of suits my eye. I do like tree-lined golf courses because it helps with targeting. And it’s not the longest track in the world, but you’ve got to be straight off the tee and I think I got that right pretty well. After that, you’ve just got to make putts and you should be able to shoot low scores.”
