Fisher is lifted by back-to-back birdies

A storming finish enabled Trevor Fisher Jnr to share a five-way tie at the top of a clustered leaderboard after the first round of the Africa Open in East London.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Jan 2010, 09:08 BST
Updated 8th Jan 2010, 09:08 BST

The South African ended with back-to-back birdies to move to seven under par alongside countrymen Titch Moore and Richard Sterne, while Sweden's Patrik Sjoland and Dane Mark Haastrup made sure there were at least some Europeans firmly in the mix.

Four players were a further stroke back after 67s – Thomas Aiken, Keith Horne, Tjaart van der Walt and Charl Schwartzel, the highest-ranked player in the field at 66 – with 16 players at five under on a day of low scoring in the coastal city, more commonly associated with windy conditions.

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Amongst those was England's Robert Coles, who fired six straight birdies to move into a share of the lead before a bogey on the penultimate par-four seventh saw him slip back.

Other Britons in the same pack were Sam Hutsby, Michael Hoey, James Morrison, Miles Tunnicliff and Justin Walters.

It was not a great day for two of the pre-tournament favourites, Englishman Nick Dougherty and rising New Zealand star Danny Lee, who struggled in their first outings of 2010.

Liverpool golfer Dougherty ended his round with a disappointing 76 – his effort including a pair of bogeys and double-bogeys among three birdies – with 19-year-old Lee finishing a shot behind.

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke did his best to stay in touch with a four-under 69, a card that had bogeys on five and 18. Harrogate's John Parry shot a one-over par 74.