MATTHEW NIXON LEADS SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN BY ONE SHOT

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
England’s Matthew Nixon produced a fine finish to his opening round to lead Marco Crespi and Jbe Kruger by a shot after the opening day of the South African Open Championship presented by the City of Ekurhuleni.
Nixon, a runner-up in Russia last season, started with four birdies in five holes and produced a birdie and an eagle in his last three holes to snatch the lead late in the day.
Italy’s Crespi, playing the first event of his rookie season after getting his European Tour card at Qualifying School in Girona last week, and South African Kruger are a shot ahead of two of the latter’s countrymen - Christiaan Basson and Retief Goosen.
Starting on the back nine, Crespi hit four straight birdies from the 12th to the 15th at Glendower GC before carding two birdies, a bogey and an eagle on his way back.
He fired perhaps the shot of the day by holing from the fairway with his second for his eagle on the 444 yard seventh, two holes after his bogey five.
Kruger’s round featured six birdies, an eagle on the par five eighth but also a bogey on the par four tenth as he looked to become the 11th home winner in the last 13 stagings of this event.
The clubhouse leader for much of the day was Basson, a two-time winner on the co-sanctioning Sunshine Tour, who had four birdies and an eagle in his round.
Another South African, former Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel, was among a quartet that carded 67s.
Schwartzel picked up five birdies and did not drop a shot in his 67 for a promising start to the 2014 Race to Dubai. Having begun on the back nine, he was only two under with four to play, but struck a fine tee shot to five feet at the sixth to set up a birdie.
In stark contrast his tee shot at the seventh required a drop, but a brilliant chip from off the green to a foot saved par and the World Number 22 holed putts of 12 and 15 feet on his last two holes for consecutive birdies.
“It means a lot, I’d love to win the South African Open,” said Schwartzel.
“I did my preparation and figured out the way I want to play the golf course and it worked today.
“I’ve always had really good results in the South African Open, come close a few times. I reckon it’s one of those where you have to keep at it and keep playing and it will come eventually.”

LEADERBOARD
Par 72
64 Matthew Nixon (England)
65 Marco Crespi (Italy), Jbe Kruger (S Africa)
66 Christiaan Basson (S Africa), Retief Goosen (S Africa)
67 Morten Orum Madsen (Denmark), Andrea Pavan (Italy) Atti Schwartzel (S Africa)

SCOTS SCLRES
71 Peter Whiteford, Doug McGuigan, Chris Doak, David Drysdale (T44)
72 Alastair Forsyth (T65)
73 Scott Jamieson (T97)
74 Craig Lee, Jamie McLeary (T74)

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