South African Open Championship

Richie Ramsay covers nine holes

in 30 but it's Martin Erlandsson

who leads with a 64

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
One of the best shots of his life helped Swede Martin Erlandsson to an eight under par 64 and a one stroke lead on the opening day of the South African Open Championship.
In addition to six birdies Erlandsson, seeking his first European Tour win in more than 170 attempts, hit a three wood to three feet on the 530 yard fifth at Pearl Valley, Western Cape.
The 35 year old from Malmo stated afterwards that it was one of those strokes where you just say "Wow, what happened?"
Erlandsson looked as if he might grab his maiden victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last August.
Ten birdies in a closing 62 swept him from six behind to two in front - he concentrated on his thumb to take his mind off what he was doing - but compatriot Peter Hedblom was still out on the course and hit back to win by one.
Only a week ago Erlandsson began the new European Tour season by playing his first nine holes at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in a nightmare 46, but this time he came home in a superb 30.
Sunday's winner Pablo Martin produced a brilliant finish too to share second place with South African Dawie Van der Walt on 65.
Martin, the only player to win European Tour titles as an amateur and a professional, was only two under with six to go, but birdied the 13th, 16th and 17th and then eagled the 601 yard last.
“It was a very well played hole,” said the Spaniard.
“I hit driver 315 yards down the right side of the fairway, and I had 265 yards to the front of the green. I had to hit it very hard, so I gave it all.”
Van der Walt also had two eagles, following a three on the fifth with a pitch into the hole for a two at the 386 yard tenth.
“I basically drove it in the middle of the fairway on nearly every hole,” said Van der Walt. “I think I only missed two fairways and one of the fairways I missed, I holed my second shot.”
Denmark's Anders Hansen, third at the weekend and clear leader of the Sunshine Tour money list with only this week to go, had an eagle and seven birdies, but also three bogeys for a 66 and fourth place.
Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay, pictured above, had a chance to outshine all of them when he covered the back nine first in a six birdie 30, but in the end he had to settle for a 67 and fifth place overnight.
Italian Edoardo Molinari, South African Charl Schwartzel and England's Ross McGowan are all trying to climb into the world's top 50 just in time to earn a place in the Masters Tournament at Augusta in April.
Omega Mission Hills World Cup winner Molinari needs a top eight finish and ended the day on four under, but the other two have to be first or second and only managed five over par 77s.
McGowan, returning to action a month after being runner-up to Lee Westwood at the Dubai World Championship, was actually three under after six, but then had two triple bogeys and a double bogey.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
64 Martin Erlandsson (Swe)
65 Pablo Martin (Spa), Dawie Van der Walt (Rsa)
66 Anders Hansen (Den)
67 Richie Ramsay
68 Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Richard Finch, Michael Jonzon (Swe), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
69 Jacques Blaauw (Rsa), Damien McGrane, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Alan McLean, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Gregory Bourdy (Fra), Dylan Frittelli (Rsa)
70 Jamie Elson, Callum Macaulay, Louis Moolman (Rsa), Soren Hansen (Den), Peter Karmis (Rsa), Doug McGuigan, James Kamte (Rsa), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Michael Hoey
71 Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Richard McEvoy, Kenneth Ferrie, Dion Fourie (Rsa), Sam Hutsby, Carl Suneson (Spa), Robert Rock, Chris Williams (Rsa), Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Markus Brier (Aut), Keith Horne (Rsa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Richard Sterne (Rsa)
72 Scott Dunlap (USA), Garth Mulroy (Rsa), James Kingston (Rsa), Branden Grace (Rsa), Chris Swanepoel (Rsa), Gavan Levenson (Rsa), Stuart Clark, Jean Hugo (Rsa), Phillip Price, Andre Cruse (Rsa), James Morrison, Oliver Bekker (Rsa), Grant Muller (Rsa), Merwe Bennie Van Der (Rsa), Jbe Kruger (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg), Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa)
73 Joost Luiten (Ned), Robert Coles, TC Charamba (Zim), Josh Cunliffe (Rsa), John Bickerton, Ryan Dreyer (Rsa), Richard Bland, Titch Moore (Rsa), Steve Basson (Rsa), Peter Whiteford, Paul Waring, Julien Guerrier (Fra), Rhys Davies, Jake Roos (Rsa), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Simon Khan, Desmond Terblanche (Rsa)
74 Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Andrew Coltart, Bradford Vaughan (Rsa), George Coetzee (Rsa), J G Claassen (Rsa), Marco Ruiz (Par), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Sam Little, Mark Murless (Rsa), Neil Schietekat (Rsa)
75 Anton Haig (Rsa), Gareth Maybin, Nic Henning (Rsa), Oliver Fisher, Gary Clark, Gary Murphy, David Drysdale, Thabang Simon (Rsa), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Adrian Ford (Rsa), David Dixon, Justin Walters (Rsa), Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa)
76 John Parry, Pelle Edberg (Swe), Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Dean Lambert (Rsa), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Charl Coetzee (Rsa), Christian Ries (Rsa), Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Keenan Davidse (Rsa), Albert Pistorius (Rsa), Julien Quesne (Fra), Mark Haastrup (Den), Christiaan Basson (Rsa), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Barry Lane
77 Clinton Whitelaw (Rsa), Reggie Adams (Rsa), Andrew Butterfield, Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Trevor Dodds (Nam), Peter Baker, Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Gary Boyd, Wayne Westner (Rsa), David Hewan (Rsa), Ross McGowan
78 Shane Lowry, Shaun Norris (Rsa), Eugen Marugi (Rsa), Andrew Curlewis (Rsa)
79 Prinavin Nelson (Rsa), Neil Cheetham, Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa), Irvin Mazibuko (Rsa), Ryan Cairns (Zim), Gary Lockerbie, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Alan Michell (Rsa)
80 Warren Abery (Rsa)
81 Tyrone Mordt (Rsa), Leon Knoll (Rsa), Derick Petersen (Rsa)
82 Alex Haindl (Rsa), Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Andrew Tampion (Aus)
83 Heinrich Bruiners (Rsa)
84 Omar Sandys (Rsa)