Louis de Jager leads Tshwane Open by 1 in South Africa
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) Louis de Jager's strong finish gave him a one-shot lead after the first round of the Tshwane Open in South Africa on Thursday.
De Jager birdied three of his last four holes for a 7-under 64 to move just ahead of fellow South African Thomas Aiken, Julian Suri of the United States, and Felipe Aguilar of Chile.
De Jager hasn't won a European Tour event but his best result came at this event in 2013, when he tied for third.
Starting on No. 9, de Jager had two good runs at Pretoria Country Club. He finished his opening nine with three straight birdies before picking up another three as he came home.
Aiken, a three-time winner on the tour, reeled off five birdies in five holes after starting with a bogey. He had eight birdies in all in his 6-under 65.
Suri, who won for the first time on the European Tour last year, dropped just one shot on his way round.
Aguilar also had seven birdies and a single bogey.
