Deane Pappas had a putt to come home

in 27 - and he missed it at Gary Player CC

Deane Pappas had a putt to shoot nine-under 27 on the homeward nine of the Gary Player Country Club in the opening round of the Dimension Data Pro-Am on Thursday. But he missed it!
His birdie putt took a little bobble to the left and he finished at seven-under 65 to share the early lead with Martin Maritz and Dawie van der Walt. Van der Walt played his first round on the Lost City course.
Later another South African, Ryan Thompson, took the lead with a 64.
The professionals compete in a 72-hole stroke-play competiton with the two opening rounds played on each of the Sun City course alternately, while the teams made up of a pro and an amateur compete in a betterball competition with the best net score counting.
The best early better-ball score came from Maritz and Patrick Quarmby with a nine-under 63. Jacques Blaauw and amateur Grant Stephen, with a seven-under total of 65 were second. That was matched by Jaco van Zyl together with Selwyn Nathan.
Leading professional scores (RSA unless specified):
Par 72
64 Ryan Thompson.
65 Dawie Van der Walt, Deane Pappas, Martin Maritz
66 Kevin Stone, Tyrone van Aswegen.
67 Garth Mulroy, Albert Pistorius, Darren Fichardt.
68 Bobby Lincoln, Alan McLean (Sco).
69 Peter Karmis, Jaco Ahlers, Neil Schietekat
70 Theunis Spangenberg, Callie Swart, Divan van den Heever, Jbe Kruger
71 Mark Murless, Charl Coetzee, P H McIntyre, Clinton Whitelaw, Neil Cheetham (Eng).
Tyrone van Aswegen