Shiv Kapur tied 8th in Tshwane Open

February 27, 2014: India’s Shiv Kapur fired five-under 67 to be jointly tied for eighth place on day one of Tshwane Open. While compatriot Gaganjeet Bhullar is tied 36th after two-under 70 in the opening round at Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate before play was suspended.

Kapur made six birdies against one bogey to remain in contention at the 7,964 yards,  Ernie Els-designed lay-out.

Meanwhile, England’s Simon Dyson birdied his last four holes to grab the clubhouse lead in the first round of the Tshwane Open.

Ernie Els lay-out is the longest on The European Tour, but the 36-year -old carded a bogey-free seven under par 65 to sit alongside home favourite Trevor Fisher Junior, who still had two holes left to play.

Dyson had birdies at the second and fifth on the way out and picked up another shot at the tenth, but it was at the 15th where the Englishman really hit his stride.

A birdie there was followed by another after a pitch to within a foot at the 16th, before a 15 foot putt at the 17th completed a hat-trick of gains.

And Dyson signed off in style by holing from 25 feet at the last to join Fisher Jnr on seven under, with England’s Ross Fisher and four more South Africans in Erik Van Rooyen, Jared Harvey, Darren Fichardt and Danie van Tonder on six under.

“It was really nice,” said Dyson, who captured the last of his six European Tour titles at the 2011 KLM Open.

“It’s a lovely start. It’s my lowest round in a good few years, especially on the first day. It just puts you in a nice frame of mind, a good stead, and sets it up nicely to have a good weekend.”

Earlier Fisher made an excellent start as he chases a first European Tour win for four years.

A four-time winner between 2007 and 2010, the former Ryder Cup star carded a six under par 66.

Having started on the back nine Fisher turned in a blemish-free 32 before carding a bogey at the first.

However, a run of four consecutive birdies from the fifth, including a 20 foot putt at the seventh, saw him hit the top of the leaderboard in Centurion, only to drop a second shot of the day at the last after failing to get up-and-down from just off the green.

“I got into a nice steady run with four birdies in a row on the front nine, which was my back nine,” said Fisher. “Unfortunately I dropped one at the last, but I can’t complain too much with six under.

South Africans have won ten of the last 13 European Tour events on home soil, so it was little surprise to see home favourites Fisher Jnr, van Rooyen, Fichardt, van Tonder and Harvey in contention.