Nixon nabs slender advantage

England’s Matthew Nixon produced a fine finish to his opening round to lead Marco Crespi and Jbe Kruger by a shot after the opening day of the South African Open Championship presented by the City of Ekurhuleni.

Nixon, a runner-up in Russia last season, started with four birdies in five holes and produced a birdie and an eagle in his last three holes to snatch the lead late in the day.

<div><br>
</div>

<div>“My dad always says I play par fives badly,” Nixon said of his eagle. “It wasn’t the greatest tee shot and it wasn’t the greatest second shot in the world, so I had a little chip from over the right bunker.<br>
<br>
“I played it really nicely and thought it was going to go about six feet past, but it ended up turning in nicely and dropping. I suspect there will be a text message from my dad waiting for me.<br>
<br>
“I went out there with an open mind and then kept hitting it close and knocking the putts in.<br>
<br>
“I putted really well. I had 22 puts today and I think that’s the lowest I’ve ever had in a round of golf.<br>
<br>
“I must have been doing something right on the greens; I feel quite good on them and the pace is really quick. I hit a few past, but I managed to hole-out really well and if I can keep doing that then the next three days will be alright.”<br>
<br>
Italy’s Crespi, playing the first event of his rookie season after getting his European Tour card at Qualifying School in Girona last week, and South African Kruger are a shot ahead of two of the latter’s countrymen - Christiaan Basson and Retief Goosen.<br>
<br>
Starting on the back nine, Crespi hit four straight birdies from the 12th to the 15th at Glendower GC before carding two birdies, a bogey and an eagle on his way back.<br>
<br>
He fired perhaps the shot of the day by holing from the fairway with his second for his eagle on the 444 yard seventh, two holes after his bogey five.<br>
<br>
Kruger’s round featured six birdies, an eagle on the par five eighth but also a bogey on the par four tenth as he looked to become the 11th home winner in the last 13 stagings of this event.<br>
<br>
The clubhouse leader for much of the day was Basson, a two-time winner on the co-sanctioning Sunshine Tour, who had four birdies and an eagle in his round.<br>
<br>
Another South African, former Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel, was among a quartet that carded 67s.<br>
<br>
Schwartzel picked up five birdies and did not drop a shot in his 67 for a promising start to the 2014 Race to Dubai. Having begun on the back nine, he was only two under with four to play, but struck a fine tee shot to five feet at the sixth to set up a birdie.<br>
<br>
In stark contrast his tee shot at the seventh required a drop, but a brilliant chip from off the green to a foot saved par and the World Number 22 holed putts of 12 and 15 feet on his last two holes for consecutive birdies.<br>
<br>
“It means a lot, I’d love to win the South African Open,” said Schwartzel.<br>
<br>
“I did my preparation and figured out the way I want to play the golf course and it worked today.<br>
<br>
“I’ve always had really good results in the South African Open, come close a few times. I reckon it’s one of those where you have to keep at it and keep playing and it will come eventually.”<br>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>