Wife on the bag and Bremner goes low at Fancourt

Merrick Bremner eagled the par-five 17th on the Outeniqua course at Fancourt on Thursday on his way to carding a seven-under-par 65 in the first round of the Sunshine Tour’s Dimension Data Pro-Am.

While his score was in fact three shots off the blistering pace set by England’s Ryan Evans, Bremner was the leading South African after the first day in the tournament co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the Challenge Tour. The tournament is played on Outeniqua and Montagu for the first two rounds, and on Montagu for the final two.

With his wife Poveshnie on the bag, Bremner was quick to give credit where it was due as he made an eagle, six birdies and dropped just one shot.

“I should have done this a long time ago,” he said. “Now I know what all the fuss is about Danie van Tonder and his wife Abi on his bag. I’m more relaxed, and my wife brings a whole lot more to the party than just being a calming influence. She was out after the rain yesterday mapping the greens, and, to be honest, I rely on her a lot.”

Perhaps the influence was most noticeable after Bremner had picked up a birdie on the second, and then dropped a shot on the third.

That’s a recipe for a potential derailing of his round, but he stuck to his guns, immediately regained the lost shot on the par-three third, and made two more birdies to turn in three-under 33.

He picked up birdies on the 10th and 11th after the turn, and then his big hitting helped him to his eagle on the 17th.

“There were still some dicey shots in there,” said Bremner, “but it was good to get this score under my belt. Everyone knows that it’s course you can get, and, even though I had the tougher session with the greens getting bumpier during the day, I went out and got it.”

Evans also bogeyed the third on Outeniqua, but he made five birdies on the front nine, and six as he came home in 30.

He leads by one from Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey, who was bogey-free, also on Outeniqua.

England’s Daniel Gavins is in third on eight-under, while Bremner shares fourth with Scotland’s Craig Howie and Mathieu Fenasse of France.

Next best of the South Africans were Riekus Nortje, Jacques Kruyswijk and Dylan Naidoo, all on six-under and all on Outeniqua.

The best score on Montagu was also six-under, carded by England's Matthew Baldwin. The best South African on Montagu was Jaco Ahlers on five-under.