PLETTENBERG BAY GOLF NEWS - James Kingston started in the best way possible at the SA Senior Open on Tuesday as he aims to defend his 2019 title. His round of five under 67 saw him take the lead in the opening round of the tournament at Plettenberg Bay Country Club.
Hosted by Bitou Municipality, the 2021 edition of the SA Senior Open teed off after a one-year hiatus owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The tournament is the pinnacle for golfers competing on the Sunshine Senior Tour, with a prize fund of R500 000. The Senior Tour features some of the best golfers to have played on the Sunshine Tour in recent memory and is exclusive for golfers over the age of 50.
Kingston has won 11 times on the Sunshine Tour, four times on the Asian Tour, twice on the European Tour and has four Senior Tour titles to his name.
Day 1 began in warm but breezy conditions with Kingston setting the tone, firing in six birdies and a two-shot eagle on the 14th to end the day a on 5-under 67. Durban-born Doug Mcguigan, who won the 2020 Sunshine Senior Tour Order of Merit in 2020, ended the day in second with a 2-under 70 in a near-perfect day which only saw him mark one bogey.
Roger Wessels came in at third with a topsy-turvy 71 which saw four bogeys and five birdies.
The back nine and afternoon conditions seemed to be kinder to the golfers, with 14 marking par or under, while only Kingston scored under par on the front nine.
A number of star names have missed out on the 2021 tournament due to the pandemic. The event though still features a strong line-up of champions from yesteryear, including notable names such as André Cruse, Chris Williams and Nic Henning.
The first day of the tournament saw the pros participating in a Pro-Am format with 65 professionals playing alongside 65 amateurs. Day 2 will continue in the same format with Thursday and Friday featuring only the pros.
Day 2 teed off at 08:00 this morning. Catch all the daily highlights of the SA Senior Open on the Sunshine Senior Tour Facebook page.
SA SENIOR OPEN ROUND 1 SCORES – TOP 5
-5 James Kingston
-2 Doug Mcguigan
-1 Roger Wessels
+3 Eddie Joubert and Johan Wolfaardt
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