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Marcel Siem opens strong at Alfred Dunhill Championship

Marcel Siem opens strong at Alfred Dunhill Championship
Marcel Siem opens the DP World Tour season with a strong 67. (Photo: Getty)

Marcel Siem fires a 67 to kick off the DP World Tour season at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg.

The Alfred Dunhill Championship marks the second event of the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing in South Africa and the tour’s first return to Royal Johannesburg since 2017. The historic East Course is one of Africa’s most prestigious layouts, and Marcel Siem made a solid start with a five-under 67 in the opening round. While Eugenio Chacarra and local favorite Christiaan Burke lead the field with impressive 63s, fellow Germans Marcel Schneider and Nick Bachem also posted solid 70s (-2) to stay in contention.

DP World Tour: Siem surges on front nine

Siem opened his round on the back nine with a bogey but quickly steadied himself with a string of pars. A birdie on the par-5 18th sparked momentum, which he carried into the front nine. There, he rattled off three consecutive birdies followed by two more at holes 5 and 8, with clean pars in between. The strong finish placed him inside the top 15 after day one, putting him in a promising position for the rest of the tournament.

Schneider and Bachem off to solid starts

Marcel Schneider and Nick Bachem both opened with rounds of 70 (-2), placing them in the middle of the pack. Schneider played a flawless front nine with all pars, then added birdies at 13 and 18, offsetting a bogey at 12. Bachem stayed even on the back nine and picked up birdies at holes 1 and 6 on the front. Both players remain on track for a weekend appearance.

Chacarra and Burke set the pace

At the top of the leaderboard, Eugenio Chacarra and South African Christiaan Burke share the lead after shooting 63 (-9). Though not eligible for a course record due to preferred lies from soft conditions, their rounds were impressive. Chacarra finished strong, going eight-under over his final 11 holes. Burke started with six straight birdies, overcame two bogeys, and closed with a birdie-eagle finish. Thriston Lawrence and Brandon Stone are close behind at -8.