Rumford shoots sizzling 64

AUSTRALIAN Brett Rumford is enjoying his first stay in South Africa where he celebrated his new-found love of the Cape Peninsula with a course record-equalling 64 to steal a one-shot lead at the SAA Open at Erinvale yesterday.

But Rumford would not have made it over to the Republic if it wasn’t for his Zimbabwean caddie Ian McGregor, who convinced the 27-year old Australian he needed to play in this tournament.

It wasn’t a bad idea as the Perth-based professional made the most of an early start and cool conditions to put him on course for what would be his second European Tour title after his win in the St Omer Open in France last year.

There, as on Thursday, he made an amazing start but then showed resolve to lead from start to finish to claim his maiden win.

“I putted extremely well today and played pretty solid on the front nine,” he said. “It was a nice day, it kind of happened all of a sudden.”

The Australian, who had to be up at 4.45am to get to his 6.30am tee off time, believes he was helped by the fact he is still suffering from jet-lag.

“I got up very early but the good thing is that I am still a bit on Australian time, seven hours ahead so I get tired in the afternoons,” he added.

“I have been getting up at three or four in the morning anyway, so it worked out well.”

His round was good enough for a one-shot lead over Welshman Stephen Dodd, who surprised everyone with his liking of the course to sneak onto the leaderboard with a 65, despite very little practice over the past few weeks.

With four birdies in his first nine holes, including a massive 25 foot putt for birdie on the 18th, Dodd was always going to be in contention.

His back nine (from the first) started off extremely well with three birdies in the first four holes, including a 25 foot chip on the 407-yard par-four fourth for a birdie.

But then on the seventh he found the bunker on the par-five from his tee shot and scrambled his way to a bogey before getting the shot back with a birdie on nine for a 33.

Dodd said: “I played nicely and hit some shots close and holed a few putts.

“But I just hit it straight and that was the key, driving it straight and hitting the greens. The rough is quite deep in places but I didn’t go in there too often, fortunately. I also had a few nice breaks here and there.

His last tournament was the pre-Christmas event in Bangkok before he returned home for the festive season, but it wasn’t a case of getting the clubs out as the Christmas cheer hit.

“I played in Bangkok about 10 days before Christmas and then it was four weeks at home,” he added.

“I did as much as I felt I needed too while I was there, which wasn’t really that much. I just did enough to keep my game in decent shape.

“You can’t do any chipping and putting at home because the greens are in such poor condition.”

England’s Steve Webster is a shot back along with Hendrik Buhrmann and last month’s Omega Hong Kong Open runner-up Hennie Otto, both from South Africa, with Scot Colin Montgomerie among a bunch of players four shots off the pace on 68.