Alejandro Del Rey, Dean Burmester, Joe Dean and Oliver Lindell share the lead after opening rounds of 65 at the Investec South African Open Championship on the DP World Tour.
Four players shared the lead after an eventful opening round at the Investec South African Open Championship on the DP World Tour, with Alejandro Del Rey, Dean Burmester, Joe Dean and Oliver Lindell all carding five-under-par 65s.
DP World Tour Leaders Set Early Pace
Finland’s Oliver Lindell produced the most impressive round among the leaders, managing a bogey-free 65 with five birdies to position himself perfectly for the remainder of the tournament. His flawless scorecard contrasted with the more adventurous routes taken by his fellow leaders.
England’s Joe Dean matched Lindell’s total despite dropping a shot, recovering with six birdies throughout his round. Spain’s Alejandro Del Rey also mixed six birdies with a single bogey, while South Africa’s Dean Burmester took the most aggressive approach with seven birdies offset by two bogeys.
The par-five 5th hole emerged as a key scoring opportunity, with several players taking advantage of the 555-yard layout that averaged 4.55 strokes – nearly half a shot under par. Nathan Kimsey and Alex Fitzpatrick both eagled the hole, though Fitzpatrick’s round took a dramatic turn when he followed up with a triple-bogey seven on the par-four 17th.
The opening round scoring average of 70.93 reflected testing conditions, with the par-four 1st hole proving particularly troublesome at 4.46 strokes on average. In contrast, the short par-three 9th offered relief at just 2.85 strokes per player.
With three rounds remaining at the Investec South African Open Championship, the four-way tie at the top sets up an intriguing battle as players look to make their move up the DP World Tour leaderboard.
This article was created with the help of AI and editorially reviewed.