Justin Harding raced into the lead at the Tshwane Open on Thursday with a splendid round of 63 at Pretoria Country Club.
The four-time Sunshine Tour winner has battled at the co-sanctioned events of this summer, but none of that turmoil showed on Thursday as he went around in seven-under par to lead by two shots.
It was a solid round of golf from the Western Cape local, who dropped a shot at the fourth for his only bogey of the day.
He played some electrifying golf over the back nine of Pretoria Country Club, which led to five birdies and 30-shot loop ending in a chip-in birdie at the 18th.
Harding started on the front stretch and was quiet early in the day, but birdied the sixth and ninth to set himself up for something special. He signed for 63 and led the morning field, with nearest chaser Theunis Spangenberg in sole second on five-under.
‘I’ve been hitting the ball well and the game seems solid, so I was confident coming into this week. I hit a lot of fairways and was rolling in the putts,’ said Spangenberg.
Jaco van Zyl was sole third after posting four-under-par 66, while the big-hitting Merrick Bremner was fourth on three-under.
