Albert Venter produced an immaculate nine-under-par 63 on Wednesday to march to a five-stroke lead after the first round of the Sunshine Tour’s SunBet Challenge hosted by Time Square Casino at Wingate Park Country Club.

The winner of the FBC Zimbabwe Open in April showed glimpses of a return to form two weeks ago when the Sunshine Tour resumed play after a short mid-winter break with a fourth-place finish in the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at De Zalze, and he confirmed that impression was correct with an eagle and seven birdies at Wingate Park.

He started like he meant business with three consecutive birdies on the first three holes, and then picked up one more on the ninth as he turned in four-under-par 31. He had a superb run of scoring again in the three holes from the 12^th to the 14^th, with a sequence of birdie-eagle-birdie. And then he rounded out his day’s work with a birdie on 18.

“I’m not sure if the eagle was good play or a bit of luck,” he laughed. “I hit a drive down the 13^th, and it bounced in the fairway bunker and out and 380 down the fairway. There must be concrete at the bottom of that bunker! I hit my approach just short of the green and made the putt from there.

“For the rest, the plan was to go bogey-free around a course I know very well. When I was at university at Tuks, we used to play here every Friday, so I know all the ins and outs of the course, and particularly where to miss it if you do miss.”

His nearest pursuers were Hennie O’Kennedy, Richard Joubert and Martin Rohwer who each signed for five-under-par 67s. O’Kennedy had to overcome a double-bogey six on the seventh, which he did with seven birdies. Joubert had six birdies and a bogey on his scorecard, as did Rohwer.

A shot behind them, in a share of fourth, were Wingate Park local Estiaan Conradie, Wynand Dingle, Keegan Thomas,  and Ruan Korb.

Newly-minted professional Casey Jarvis had a poor start to his career in the paid ranked with a five-over 77 giving him an almost insurmountable task if he is to make the cut in his first tournament as a professional.