SCOTT JAMIESON was the pick of the Scots on an eventful day for the home contingent during round one of the Tshwane Open at the Pretoria Country Club.
While the South African, Louis de Jager, finished with a flourish to set the early pace with a seven-under 64, Jamieson picked up four birdies on his last 10 holes in a 67 to join the massed ranks who finished in a tie for seventh place.
Jamieson’s compatriots, David Drysdale and Fife rookie Connor Syme, left it late before they salvaged under-par scores from rounds that had been veering off course.
Drysdale stood on the 15th tee at two-over but kick-started his recovery with a birdie there before making another gain on the 16th.
The Borderer then conjured a grandstand finished as he made an eagle-three on the last to post a battling 69.
Syme, meanwhile, also showed his fighting qualities as he looks to make just his second cut in seven European Tour events this season.
The 22-year-old former Walker Cup player had been toiling at four-over after 11 holes but a birdie on the 12th provided the catalyst for a stirring recovery.
Syme made another birdie on the 14th before reeling off three in succession at the 16th, 17th and 18th to haul himself up the leaderboard with a one-under 70.
Grant Forrest, the former Scottish Amateur champion who was a late call-up from the reserve list this week, also opened with a one-under score.
At the sharp end of affairs, De Jager’s 64 pushed him to the summit but he has three European Tour winners breathing down his neck going into round two.
The 30-year-old was bogey-free on a day of good scoring as he opened up a narrow advantage over fellow South African Thomas Aiken, Chilean Felipe Aguilar and America's Julian Suri, who have six European Tour victories among them.
De Jager's best European Tour result came at the inaugural Tshwane Open where he finished third in 2013, and he also finished fourth at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December.
"For us South Africans this event is big,” he said. “Everybody knows what they are playing for so it just motivates you more."
Aiken opened with a bogey but then made five birdies in a row from the 11th and when he added another on the 18th, he was out in front on his own for a spell.
Playing partner Suri had birdied the 12th, 13th and 15th and he made another on the second before holing a slippery ten-foot, right-to-lefter on the third to bolster his assault.
Aguilar regained his card at the Qualifying School in November for an 11th consecutive season on Tour and was the best of the later starters.
The two-time winner, who started his round on the back-nine, birdied the 11th and then made four in a row from the 16th before dropping a shot on the second. A monster putt on the eighth then got him to five-under before he took advantage of the last.
Elsewhere in the Rainbow Nation, there was semi-final disappointment for the Scottish duo of Euan Walker and John Paterson in the South African Amateur Championship.
Barassie man Walker went down at the 20th hole of an evenly fought joust with a Deon Germishuys while Paterson, last year’s Scottish Boys’ Open Strokeplay champion, lost 2&1to Chris Woollam.
At the Ladies European Tour’s NSW Open in Australia, Aberdeen’s Michele Thomson was sitting inside the top 20 after a level-par 71 left her five shots behind the early leaders, Manon Molle and Silvia Banon.
On the LPGA Tour, meanwhile, Jennifer Song didn’t let a two hour lightning delay put her off her stride as she opened with a seven-under 65 to lead the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
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