Vorster, De Decker in early lead in Benoni

Leon Vorster made eight birdies, a bogey and a double on his way to an opening round of five-under 67 on day one of the Altron Big Easy Tour’s 10th tournament held at Benoni Country Club.

His efforts catapulted him to the summit of the leaderboard alongside Andre De Decker whose own 67 was just as impressive.

“That double-bogey was a heartbreaker,” admitted Vorster after his round. “I hit a good shot in there but somehow, I ended up making a double. I’m still not sure how it happened but I had to move on and I made a birdie on the last. So, that’s okay.

“But overall, I think I played very well. I made a few mistakes, especially on the first hole, the par-five. After that, I gathered myself nicely and played good golf. I hit my shots very close and I didn’t have too many long putts. I was unfortunate to make that bogey on seven. I felt like it was another mistake on my part; I came out of the middle of the fairway. But it’s golf and these things happen. We make birdies and we make bogeys.”

Vorster was just as quick to note that familiarity with the layout here was crucial in navigating through the opening round.

“I have played here many times in many pre-qualifiers and I am familiar with the golf course and how it plays. But, I think today’s round was one of my better rounds on this track.”

De Decker was just as magnificent on day one. His front nine consisted of four straight pars and five birdies back-to-back. Coming home, De Decker dropped shots on 11 and 13 but recovered with birdies on 15 and 17 to seal his spot atop the leaderboard.

Paul Boshoff carded the second-best score of the round, a 68, which placed him on solo third after the opening 18 holes. Seven players, including members of the Papwa Sewgolum Class Karabo Mokoena, Allister de Kock and Jastice Mashego, share fourth on three-under-par going into the second round of this 54-hole event.