Bryce Easton posted a sensational nine under par opening round of 63 to take the lead on day one of the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt Golf Estate.
The South African carded ten birdies and one bogey on the Outeniqua course to move two shots ahead of Frenchman Benjamin Hébert, who carded a seven under 65.
The 36-year-old has been working hard on a new putting method in recent weeks and was delighted to reap the rewards with a low opening round in George.
“I’ve made a bit of a switch with my putter,” he said. “I’ve been struggling with the flatstick for quite some time and decided to make a change this year. The last couple of weeks I have been trying to pick the brains of some of the guys who use this longer putter, especially Justin Harding who has had great success with this method.
“It has taken time to learn but missing cuts and shooting over par doesn’t get you anywhere out here, so it felt really nice to go low today and convert the chances I was creating for myself.
“I’ve been giving myself birdie opportunities for a while now but I have been missing the putts. It felt great to see them drop and I was able to build on that momentum and keep it going throughout the day. I had some nice solid shots and was extremely efficient around the greens.”
Easton lost his DP World Tour playing privileges in 2023 and returns to the Challenge Tour this season in an attempt to rekindle the kind of form that saw him finish 18th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings to earn graduation in 2022.
“I’ve never gone super low on Outeniqua so today was very pleasing,” he said. “I think the weather isn’t looking great tomorrow and I’ve heard a few horror stories and I’m playing The Links so it will be a true test. I’m going to have to play as well as I can and hopefully get something going again.
“I’m committed to playing Challenge Tour again this season and hopefully I can get back onto the DP World Tour. Unfortunately, I lost my card last year but I have earnt graduation before and I feel like I’m close to playing some of the best golf in my career.”
His compatriots Daniel van Tonder, Luca Filippi, Stefan Wears-Taylor and Jacques Blaauw share third place with Spaniard Victor Pastor on six under par.
Seven players share eighth place on five under, including three-time DP World Tour winner Brandon Stone and defending champion Oliver Bekker.
The second round of the Dimension Data Pro-Am will get under way at 6:45am local time, with Easton teeing it up alongside countryman Sean Cronje on The Links at 9:02am.
