McKibbin five off the lead in South Africa after solid start at Nedbank Challenge 

STRONG FORM: Tom McKibbin won the Hong Kong Open last month.

Tom McKibbin got his challenge off to a strong start in South Africa after an opening 67 left him five off the first-round lead at the Nedbank Challenge. Norway's Kristoffer Reitan was in front of the field on nine under par after a superb opening 63 in Sun City.

Marcus Armitage and Jesper Svensson had set the early target at six under, and were later joined by Adrien Saddier, but Reitan was out on his own after a stunning round featuring ten birdies and one dropped shot.

McKibbin, a winner on the Asian Tour last month, fired a four-under 68 to sit in a tie for fifth behind the red-hot Norwegian.

Reitan made a flying start, clipping his approach at the first to two feet and holing from eight feet at the second for back-to-back birdies.

His brilliant approach to six inches from a fairway bunker at the sixth set up a third birdie and four in succession followed around the turn, including putts from 12 feet at the eighth and 11 at the 11th.

He picked up further shots at the 14th and 15th and though the 17th brought his one dropped shot of the round after he found sand off the tee, he holed from the fringe at the last to return to nine under.

The Norwegian's best previous result in South Africa has been a tie for 42nd, at both the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Championship and the 2020 Limpopo Championship but he said he feels "comfortable" playing in the country.

Svensson started on the back nine and played it in one under par before his inward nine featured two superb eagles, at the second and the ninth.

Armitage also started from the tenth and turned in 31 before adding a sixth birdie at the first. He moved to eight under with gains at the first and sixth only for a closing seven at the par-five ninth to leave him tied with Svensson and Saddier, who had six birdies in a bogey-free round.

Garrick Higgo and Shaun Norris were the leading home players in a group of six tied on four under, alongside McKibbin, Julien Guerrier, Thomas Detry and Haotong Li.