Golfer Van Zyl leads lightning-threatened SA Open

Jaco Van Zyl opened up a one-shot lead at the SA Open on Thursday as 33 players were left unable to complete their first rounds due to the threat of lightning.

The South African veteran is seeking his first European Tour title having finished runner-up on four occasions.

After firing an opening 65 to take the lead ahead of countryman Shaun Norris, the 36-year-old admitted that condtions got tougher as the day progressed.

"The first couple of holes today, there was not a breath of wind, it was nice and cool, so you really needed to capitalise on the first couple of holes," the leader told www.europeantour.com.

"By the time we got to our eighth hole the wind really started picking up and it was warming up a little bit, so it just got so much tougher out there.

"It really felt good out there today. I felt very comfortable."

Van Zyl is playing the tournament -- the world's second oldest national Open championship -- for the 15th time but his best finish was 12th in 2014.

Victory on Sunday would not only give him a first European Tour title, it would also allow him to join an illustrious list of home winners such as Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Hennie Otto and Richard Sterne.

Starting on the tenth, Van Zyl birdied his first and the 13th before back-to-back gains on the 15th and 16th saw him turn in 32.

A further birdie came on the first and was then followed by an eagle on the par-five second to move him to seven under and a two-shot lead.

Norris was one of those two shots back after he birdied the 11th and 12th before an eagle on the 15th catapulted him up the leaderboard. Another birdie came on the 17th but a shot was given back on the next as he turned in 32.

A birdie on the first got him back on track before a dropped shot on the fourth and a birdie on the fifth had him five under through 14 holes.

But he would soon have a share of the lead as he picked up a birdie despite a wayward tee shot on the eighth and Van Zyl dropped his only shot of the day on the seventh after a chip from an awkward lie on the edge of the green.

Van Zyl responded in impressive fashion, though, putting his approach on the eighth to three feet and moving back ahead.

On 67 were fellow South Africans Jbe Kruger and Keith Horne, while two-time champion Retief Goosen was a further shot back alongside Daniel Brooks, Estanislao Goya, Justin Walters and Ross McGowan.
Source: AFP