Hoey out in front at Joburg

Michael Hoey was the clubhouse leader at midday during the opening round of the Joburg Open today after his seven-under-par 64 put him a shot clear of Alfredo Garcia-Heredia.

Playing the east course first, the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, Hoey's card included eight birdies and just one blemish courtesy of a bogey on the par-four 17th.

However, he still trailed Trevor Fisher Jnr, who had two holes still to play on the west course, by a stroke after the South African picked up shots on 14 and 15 to move to eight-under overall.

Spaniard Garcia-Heredia was a further stroke back after completing his round in the co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour in 65, one stroke clear of another home favourite Brett Liddle and Maarten Lafeber from Holland with the pair still having nine and eight holes respectively still to play.

Up to 10 players were on four-under 67, including Italian Alessandro Tadini, the only player in the clubhouse to have shot a bogey-free round.

But the morning saw Hoey give himself a flying start to the competition and he was just pleased to have improved on his 75 from last year’s competition.

He said: “I am pretty happy, I played here last year and the weather wasn’t great. It didn’t help as I wasn’t playing well at all. I knew then that the east course was playing tough, it was really long.

“But today it was pretty hot so the ball was going longer and that helped. I got off to a good start as well, so it was pretty good.

“I had probably one of the only poor swings of the day on 17 and that cost me. But I actually played solid today.”

Defending champion Richard Sterne was level through his opening three holes, with two-time major winner Retief Goosen one over at the same stage.

The first two rounds of the R2.25m (€174,350) event are taking place on the east and west courses after which the last two rounds will finish on the east.