Chris Hanson produces more fireworks at Joburg Open

The Woodsome Hall man is Yorkshire's only weekend representative for the second tournament running.

And he put on another display of fireworks, as he had in the BMW SA Open.

There he closed his second round with four birdies and an eagle in his last five holes.

Yesterday in the Joburg Open, after bogeys at four and five on the East Course, he responded with four birdies in a row.

Seven pars followed on the homeward run and a birdie at the 17th moved him to four under overall.

He closed with a par for rounds of one-under 70 on the West Course and three-under 69 on the East.

"I'm pretty happy with my game overall," said Hanson, who has made three of four cuts in his first season on Europe's top tier of tournament golf.

"It's tough out here. As an Englishman, you come from cold weather and poor course conditions to extremely hot weather, and a bunch of South African guys in the middle of the Sunshine Tour season.

"The grass is like nothing we play off back home and chipping is very tricky.

“So to make the cut and plenty of birdies is nice. Hopefully I can stick to my process and climb the leader board the next two days.”

Malton's Simon Dyson shot a one-under-par 70 in the second round over the West Course.

But the six-time European Tour winner missed another cut in his second event back following a seven-month break, during which he had surgery to repair a slipped tendon in his left wrist.

His 74 around the East Course on Thursday means he finished one over for the two rounds, with the cut excluding those at two under and worse.

But he will take away the positives of having carded six birdies and an eagle, the latter at his closing hole on day one.

He was undermined by an average of a bogey every four holes, but confidence seems certain to grow with more appearances.

Hull's Richard Finch, who withdrew after just seven holes in last week's BMW SA Open, added a 75 over the West Course to his opening 78 on the East.

Needing a round in the mid-60s to stand a chance of advancing to the weekend, any faint hope had gone after a bogey at the first was compounded by a double at seven.

He birdied the ninth, a bogey at 11 was exacerbated by a double bogey at 12, although a second birdie of the round came at 15.

Leeds's Daniel Gavins also set off on the West needing a low score after his first-round 77, but stood six over for the event at the turn after bogeys at the third and the fourth and a birdie at the ninth.

Bogeys at 11 and 14 were offset by birdies at 15 and 17 as he returned home in level-par 35 for a one-over 72.