Clark in the frame again

Home favourite Tim Clark made the perfect start to his bid to retain his South African Airways Open title at Fancourt today.

Clark carded a five-under-par 68 to equal The Links course record and set the early clubhouse target.

Swede Henrik Nystrom was one behind after a 69 with South African Jaco Van Zyl, American Scott Dunlap and Italian Francesco Molinari another stroke back.

England’s Justin Rose, who spent the build-up to the event at his grandmother’s house on the Fancourt Estate, could only manage a one-over 36 for his first nine holes.

Rose birdied the fourth and sixth but bogeyed the first, seventh and ninth.

Ernie Els, fresh from his win in the Dunhill Championship on Sunday, was faring even worse at two over after eight holes.

Els, playing only his third event since knee surgery, was level after one birdie and one bogey in his first five holes, but then dropped further shots at seven and eight.

Clark’s round included four birdies and an eagle, the only blemish coming with a bogey on the ninth, his final hole.

“Obviously I would’ve taken anything under par before I started this morning so I’m happy with the way things went,” Clark said.

“It wasn’t nice finishing with bogey on the ninth though, you really expect par or birdie there.

“A birdie on the second feels like an eagle however, because it’s a really tough hole.”

Clark holed from 25ft on the second and from half that distance on the 18th for eagle after a superb 3-wood approach.

Clark has officially joined the European Tour and will play at least the minimum 11 tournaments required during the 2006 season.

A victory on Sunday would cap a fine year for the South African, who celebrates his 30th birthday this Saturday.

The 30-year-old earned $2.3m (€1.9m) on the PGA Tour, won the Scottish Open, finished third in the US Open and rose more than 50 places on the world rankings.