Golf: Lawrie recovers from poor start

Paul Lawrie recovered from a shaky start to climb up the leaderboard in the first round of the Bell's South African Open.

The former Open champion dropped a shot at his opening hole, but then picked up five birdies to find himself just two shots off the early lead after 15 holes.

South African James Kingston was setting the early pace on six under par after 12 holes, with playing partner Carl Pettersson of Sweden a shot behind alongside South African-based Scot Alan McLean.

European number one Retief Goosen had also made a good start playing alongside Lawrie, the US Open champion three under par after 10 holes, while English duo Steve Webster and Simon Dyson were four under after 12 holes.