Dylan Frittelli carded an opening six-under-par 65 at Galgorm Castle Golf Club on Friday to share the first-round lead at the Tayto Northern Ireland Open.
The 26-year-old has recorded four top-10’s on the Challenge Tour this year and currently lies 21st on the Road to Oman standings. The final 15 on the earnings list get European Tour cards for 2017, so he’ll be looking to cash in this week.
The University of Texas alumni started his Friday round with a par on the first hole and then made four consecutive birdies. No dropped shots and another birdie at the ninth meant the Johannesburg-born golfer went out in a blistering 30 strokes.
A sole birdie on the tenth was all Frittelli could muster on the back nine, but he kept a clean card to finish at the head of the field alongside seven other players.
A good finish in Scotland will push him closer to the top 15 on the Road to Oman. There are 13 tournaments left on tour this season and he’ll be looking to progress onto the bigger stage, as Brandon Stone did last year.
