Paul Lawrie began his 25th season on the European Tour with a two-under 69 in the first round of the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington.
While host nation hopeful Justin Peters surged to the front with a seven-under 65 on the East Course, Lawrie posted his two-under card on the West Course in a round that started with a birdie on the first but ended with the sour taste of a spilled shot on the 18th.
Lawrie’s countryman, Scott Henry, birdied two of his last four holes on the East Course in a one-under 71 and was joined on that mark by Stirling’s Craig Lee.
At the head of affairs, Walters packed six birdies and an eagle into his round as he finished at the top of the pile. English duo Anthony Howell and David Howell also hit 65s but they were on the par-71 West course and they were sharing second with a posse of players on six-under.
In the far east, Irishman Shane Lowry insisted that this weekend’s EurAsia Cup match with an Asian Tour select is not just a dry run for the Ryder Cup as Europe look to make amends for squandering a four-point lead in the inaugural event two years ago.
Darren Clarke captains the 12-man European team in Kuala Lumpur before performing the same role at Hazeltine in September and has chosen Ryder Cup stalwarts Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood as his wild cards.
"The EurAsia Cup is a great tournament in its own right, so we want to play as well as we can and we want to try and win on Sunday," said Lowry.
"I'm pretty sure that the 12 of us will not be thinking anything about the Ryder Cup on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
In the unpaid ranks, the Scottish trio of Connor Syme, Jack McDonald and Grant Forrest all progressed into the last 32 of the Australian Amateur Championship in Melbourne.
Bearsden’s Ewen Ferguson, the fourth Scottish qualifier form the strokeplay stages, fell at the first matchplay hurdle though after a 5&3 defeat to Welshman, Evan Griffith.
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