Dingle, Rebula share KitKat Pro-Am lead

Wynand Dingle says his game is not yet 100 per cent 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 first hole, his 10th, to go with six birdies, but also had a couple of bogeys.

Same group ????? same score ??

Our joint clubhouse leaders share their thoughts on their rounds and much more ??? #KitKatGroupProAm | #GreatnessBeginsHere | #SunshineTour pic.twitter.com/AKGE6i9Rrs

— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) May 25, 2023

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 per cent, 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,” Dingle said.

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.

FIRST-ROUND SCORES:

65 - Wynand Dingle, Jovan Rebula

66 - Louis Albertse, Jack Hawksby

67 - Neil Schietekat, Trevor Fisher Jnr

68 - Malcolm Mitchell, Martin Rohwer, Callum Mowat, Clancy Waugh, Darren Fichardt, Stefan Wears-Taylor

69 - Yurav Premlall, Heinrich Bruiners, Jacques Kruyswijk, Keagan Thomas, Sean Cronje, Estiaan Conradie, Christiaan Basson, Robin Williams

70 - Sean Bradley, Ruan Conradie, Kyle Barker

71 - James Mack, Vaughn van Deventer, Steve Surry, Jaco Van Zyl, Jacques Blaauw, Matthew Spacey, Dan Erickson, Madalitso Muthiya

72 - Adam Breen, Rhys West, Allister de Kock, CJ du Plessis, Merrick Bremner, Toto Thimba Jnr, Nikhil Rama, Dylan Naidoo, Franklin Manchest, Keegan Mclachlan, Luca Filippi, Gerhard Trytsman, Leon Visser, Ryan Van Velzen, Peter Karmis, Reinhardt Blaauw, Drikus Joubert

73 - Siyanda Mwandla, MJ Viljoen, Ruan Korb, Ulrich van den Berg, Jared Harvey, Wade Jacobs, Jean Hugo, Erhard Lambrechts, Karabo Mokoena, Christiaan Burke, Jacques P de Villiers, David Wicks, Alex Haindl, Quintin Wilsnach, Tyron Davidowitz, Danie Van Niekerk

74 - Jason Roets, Hennie Otto, Hennie O'Kennedy, Jonathan Broomhead, Ricky Hendler, Rupert Kaminski, Omar Sandys, Gregory Mckay, Chris Cannon, Keelan Africa, Michael Hollick, Combrinck Smit, Doug McGuigan, Hayden Griffiths, Brandon Smith

75 - Ethan Smith, Luke Jerling, Lyle Rowe, Albert Venter, Keelan van Wyk, Thabang Simon, Anthony Michael, Kyle McClatchie, Jason Smith, Lindani Ndwandwe, Luke Brown, Musiwalo Nethunzwi, Richard Joubert, Ryan Tipping, Ruan de Smidt, Jacquin Hess, DK Kim

76 - Conner Mackenzie, Marcel Steyn Scholtz, Robson Chinhoi, Fredrik From, Michael Kok, Aneurin Gounden, Riekus Nortje

77 - Gerard Moodley, Adriel Poonan, Sipho Bujela, Hunter Epson, Slenda Sithebe

78 - Travis Ladner, Gerhard Pepler, Sentanio Minnie, Jake Redman, Herman Loubser, Teboho Sefatsa, Evance Vukeya

79 - Stuart Krog, Nicholaus Frade

80 - Tristin Galant, Ben Firth, Fezekile Kana

81 - Jonathan Waschefort, Irvin Mazibuko, LB Boshoff