Tristen Strydom carded a five-under-par 67 on Thursday to be in a share of third after the first round of the Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open ar Royal Cape Golf Club.
Strydom made seven birdies, but dropped shots on the 14th and 17th as he ended the first round one shot off the lead which was shared by Brandley Bawden of England and Finland’s Tapio Pulkannen. There were five other players in a share of third with Strydom, including fellow South African Stefan Wears-Taylor. There were 12 other South Africans a further stroke back on four-under-par in a share of ninth.
Taking on a golf course with little to no wind, Bawden was the early leader with a solid round that included two fantastic eagles on the seventh and 11th, three birdies and a single bogey. “It’s a pretty decent start,” he said. “I didn’t play well last week so made a few changes and it showed today. I hit a few nice shots and holed a couple of nice putts.
“I wouldn’t say I was overly aggressive. On this course there are some tough shots, so you have to keep it in play. If you hit it in the right spots, you can shoot a score, and I was able to do that today.”
Pulkkanen then handed in a bogey-free scorecard that also saw him sink an eagle on the seventh and add four birdies. “I’m very pleased,” he said. “It was kind of a quiet day. I didn’t make too many putts or anything, just played steady before the finish.
“I didn’t make any bogeys, so that’s always important. I also made a few good par saves. Overall I hit it good off the tee and didn’t make too many mistakes.”
