Wynand Dingle says his game is not yet 100% technically sound, but the 38-year-old still has the recipe for success as he took advantage of the receptive greens at the Irene Country Club and shot a seven-under-par 65 on Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-Am.
Dingle fired four birdies on each nine, following a bogey on the fourth hole he played, the 168m, par-three 13th with its menacing bunker in front of the green.
Young Jovan Rebula was in the same three-ball that teed off at 7am on Thursday, and he matched Dingle with seven birdies and no bogeys on his card.
Dingle and Rebula enjoy a one-stroke lead over Louis Albertse and Englishman Jack Hawksby, who eagled the par-four 1st hole, his 10th, to go with six birdies, but also had a couple of bogeys.
Seven-under 65 was a superb score on Thursday, but Dingle was not entirely satisfied.
“I didn’t have such a good start, it was cold in the morning and tough to get the body going and the ball didn’t go that far. And then I bogeyed my fourth hole,” Dingle said.
“But I got three birdies in a row straight afterwards and that kick-started my round, with another on 18 and then another three in a row from the first. The greens are receptive and rolling nicely, you really can’t fault the course.
“One of my concerns though is my consistency is lacking a little bit. I need to get four rounds together and especially have better rounds on the weekend. Technically I’m not 100%, so when I’m under the gun I lose it a bit. It’s because technically I’m not totally sound.
“There are a few things bugging me in my swing and if I can correct those then it will stand up under pressure. But it’s not mental, it’s a technical thing.”
It was another fine day in the office for the in-form Neil Schietekat, who is top of The Courier Guy Order of Merit, as he shot a five-under 67 to share fifth place with Trevor Fisher Jnr.
Schietekat started slowly, reaching the turn at just one under, but he then gathered four birdies on the back nine.
Fisher Jnr began on the 10th and had a poor bogey-bogey start, but he played his last 13 holes in seven under par.
It was a tough day for Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi, the winner of last weekend’s Zanaco Masters in Zambia, as he shot a four-over 76.
