Van Den Berg (64) leads Alfred Dunhill Championship
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
South African Ulrich Van den Berg banished the memories of a last-round meltdown four years ago to take the lead with an eight-under-par 64 on the opening day of the new European Tour season.
The 34-year-old, ranked 657th in the world, led the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek by four with 12 holes to play in 2005, but then crashed to an inward 44.
He has missed the halfway cut in the event every year since, but a flawless eight under par 64 this time has put him one in front of Swede Pelle Edberg.
Ernie Els, the player who took advantage of Van den Berg's collapse but had his own nightmare on the course two years ago with a closing triple bogey 8 when two ahead, birdied the hole on his return and signed for a 68.
Van den Berg, who did not manage a single top 20 finish in 12 European Tour starts last season, came home in a five under 30.
"I’ve been struggling with my game for at least a year now, and haven’t been anywhere near my best," he said on the tournament website.
"I’ve felt my game has been coming around, but mentally I’ve just been all over the show.
"I felt very peaceful and relaxed out there. For me it always depends on my putting - if it's good then I feel I can relax."
SCOREBOARD
FIRST ROUND
Par 72
64 Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa)
65 Pelle Edberg (Swe)
66 Titch Moore (Rsa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
67 Damien McGrane, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Alan McLean, Sion Bebb, Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Tjaart Van der Walt (Rsa), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Shane Lowry, Gregory Bourdy (Fra)
68 James Kingston (Rsa), Anders Hansen (Den), Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Benn Barham, Gareth Maybin, Richard McEvoy, Dawie Van der Walt (Rsa), Ernie Els (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg), Pablo Martin (Spa)
69 Peter Whiteford, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Nic Henning (Rsa), Vaughan Bradford (Rsa), Oliver Bekker (Rsa), Robert Rock, Richard Finch, Louis De jager (Rsa), James Kamte (Rsa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa)
70 Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Steve Basson (Rsa), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Joost Luiten (Ned), Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Branden Grace (Rsa), Andrew Coltart, Doug McGuigan, Julien Guerrier (Fra), Gary Boyd, David Dixon, Dale Whitnell, Toto Thimba (Rsa)
71 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), John Parry, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Andrew Tampion (Aus), Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa), Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Jamie Elson, Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa), David Hewan (Rsa), Vaughn Groenewald (Rsa), Jacques Blaauw (Rsa), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Anton Haig (Rsa), Andrew Curlewis (Rsa), Rhys Davies, James Morrison, Dion Fourie (Rsa), Carl Suneson (Spa), Christiaan Basson (Rsa), Grant Muller (Rsa), Jbe Kruger (Rsa)
72 TC Charamba (Zim), Kenneth Ferrie, Andrew Georgiou (Rsa), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Thabang Simon (Rsa), Warren Abery (Rsa), Markus Brier (Aut), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Marco Ruiz (Par), Gary Murphy, Louis Moolman (Rsa), Mark F Haastrup (Den), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), James Ruth, Richard Sterne (Rsa), Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa)
73 Prinavin Nelson (Rsa), Richie Ramsay, Keenan Davidse (Rsa), Josh Cunliffe (Rsa), Andre Cruse (Rsa), George Coetzee (Rsa), Callum Macaulay, Peter Karmis (Rsa), Justin Walters (Rsa), Desmond Terblanche (Rsa), Michael Hoey
74 Richard Bland, Clinton Whitelaw (Rsa), Hennie Otto (Rsa), Peter Baker, Phillip Price, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Julien Quesne (Fra), Gary Lockerbie, Ross Wellington (Rsa), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa), Charl Coetzee (Rsa)
75 Andrew Butterfield, Shaun Norris (Rsa), Robert Coles, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Omar Sandys (Rsa), Grant Veenstra (Rsa), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Lee Slattery, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Keith Horne (Rsa), Neil Schietekat (Rsa)
76 Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Tyrone Mordt (Rsa), Chris Swanepoel (Rsa), Gary Clark, Jeff Inglis (Rsa), Stephan Gross (Ger), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), Sam Little, Barry Lane
77 Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Jean Hugo (Rsa), Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Heinrich Bruiners (Rsa), Jake Roos (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Albert Pistorius (Rsa), David Drysdale, Ryan Tipping (Rsa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Francois Calmels (Fra), Mark Murless (Rsa)
78 Clifford Howes (Rsa), Brett Liddle (Rsa), Andrew McArthur, Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
79 Gian Scarola (Rsa), Thomas Bjorn (Den)
80 Oliver Fisher
81 John Bickerton
82 Martin Erlandsson (Swe
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
South African Ulrich Van den Berg banished the memories of a last-round meltdown four years ago to take the lead with an eight-under-par 64 on the opening day of the new European Tour season.
The 34-year-old, ranked 657th in the world, led the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek by four with 12 holes to play in 2005, but then crashed to an inward 44.
He has missed the halfway cut in the event every year since, but a flawless eight under par 64 this time has put him one in front of Swede Pelle Edberg.
Ernie Els, the player who took advantage of Van den Berg's collapse but had his own nightmare on the course two years ago with a closing triple bogey 8 when two ahead, birdied the hole on his return and signed for a 68.
Van den Berg, who did not manage a single top 20 finish in 12 European Tour starts last season, came home in a five under 30.
"I’ve been struggling with my game for at least a year now, and haven’t been anywhere near my best," he said on the tournament website.
"I’ve felt my game has been coming around, but mentally I’ve just been all over the show.
"I felt very peaceful and relaxed out there. For me it always depends on my putting - if it's good then I feel I can relax."
SCOREBOARD
FIRST ROUND
Par 72
64 Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa)
65 Pelle Edberg (Swe)
66 Titch Moore (Rsa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
67 Damien McGrane, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Alan McLean, Sion Bebb, Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Tjaart Van der Walt (Rsa), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Shane Lowry, Gregory Bourdy (Fra)
68 James Kingston (Rsa), Anders Hansen (Den), Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Shiv Kapur (Ind), Benn Barham, Gareth Maybin, Richard McEvoy, Dawie Van der Walt (Rsa), Ernie Els (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg), Pablo Martin (Spa)
69 Peter Whiteford, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Nic Henning (Rsa), Vaughan Bradford (Rsa), Oliver Bekker (Rsa), Robert Rock, Richard Finch, Louis De jager (Rsa), James Kamte (Rsa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa)
70 Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Steve Basson (Rsa), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Joost Luiten (Ned), Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Branden Grace (Rsa), Andrew Coltart, Doug McGuigan, Julien Guerrier (Fra), Gary Boyd, David Dixon, Dale Whitnell, Toto Thimba (Rsa)
71 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), John Parry, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Andrew Tampion (Aus), Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa), Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Jamie Elson, Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa), David Hewan (Rsa), Vaughn Groenewald (Rsa), Jacques Blaauw (Rsa), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Anton Haig (Rsa), Andrew Curlewis (Rsa), Rhys Davies, James Morrison, Dion Fourie (Rsa), Carl Suneson (Spa), Christiaan Basson (Rsa), Grant Muller (Rsa), Jbe Kruger (Rsa)
72 TC Charamba (Zim), Kenneth Ferrie, Andrew Georgiou (Rsa), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Thabang Simon (Rsa), Warren Abery (Rsa), Markus Brier (Aut), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Marco Ruiz (Par), Gary Murphy, Louis Moolman (Rsa), Mark F Haastrup (Den), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), James Ruth, Richard Sterne (Rsa), Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa)
73 Prinavin Nelson (Rsa), Richie Ramsay, Keenan Davidse (Rsa), Josh Cunliffe (Rsa), Andre Cruse (Rsa), George Coetzee (Rsa), Callum Macaulay, Peter Karmis (Rsa), Justin Walters (Rsa), Desmond Terblanche (Rsa), Michael Hoey
74 Richard Bland, Clinton Whitelaw (Rsa), Hennie Otto (Rsa), Peter Baker, Phillip Price, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Julien Quesne (Fra), Gary Lockerbie, Ross Wellington (Rsa), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa), Charl Coetzee (Rsa)
75 Andrew Butterfield, Shaun Norris (Rsa), Robert Coles, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Omar Sandys (Rsa), Grant Veenstra (Rsa), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Lee Slattery, Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Keith Horne (Rsa), Neil Schietekat (Rsa)
76 Fredrik Ohlsson (Swe), Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Tyrone Mordt (Rsa), Chris Swanepoel (Rsa), Gary Clark, Jeff Inglis (Rsa), Stephan Gross (Ger), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), Sam Little, Barry Lane
77 Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Jean Hugo (Rsa), Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Heinrich Bruiners (Rsa), Jake Roos (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Albert Pistorius (Rsa), David Drysdale, Ryan Tipping (Rsa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe), Francois Calmels (Fra), Mark Murless (Rsa)
78 Clifford Howes (Rsa), Brett Liddle (Rsa), Andrew McArthur, Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
79 Gian Scarola (Rsa), Thomas Bjorn (Den)
80 Oliver Fisher
81 John Bickerton
82 Martin Erlandsson (Swe
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, December 10, 2009
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