Round 1 Highlights | 2025 Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player

Round 1 Highlights from the 2025 Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City

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Couple of bumpers down the right hand side. Just about laser straight. That’ll find the fairway. No doubt about that one. Raan, one of the 10 players who earn themselves dual membership and the opportunity to play both on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour next season. Off they stride here at wonderful historic Sun City in the tournament known as Africa’s major setup position of his is quite unusual, but he can give it a lash. Uh-oh. Uhoh. Oh no. I just said you’re straight, Barker. Oh, sometimes better to be lucky than good. Howler put him down for a win. Very nearly an eagle at the first for the Norwegian. has taken a long time off with uh back surgery. Had to stop at the PGA Championship back in May and that’ll do nicely. Yeah, feels like a bonus three at the third and now he’s on his way to the PGA Tour. Remarkable to the par three fourth and how Tong Lee [Applause] caught up with him on the seventh T the par three during the program. I tell you, I don’t think I’ve seen a team of amateurs having as much fun. An opportunity to move two under at the fifth and within two of Marcus Armitage at the top. He’s been doing a lot of that. Oh, that’ll work. And I have to say I hit this green once in innumerable tournaments. I hit it once in two shots and that was with driver driver seven iron. Oh, he is just frighteningly long. Let’s go to three and caner. More of a frustrating start for him with chances at one and two. Didn’t bag either of them and he’s going to give himself another one there at three. Yeah, certainly a a star of of the tour. Where is this man? Generally, wildlife I find tends to stay away from human beings apart from Tony Johnston who’s a bit of a magnet obviously, but the question is, is he human? Nicely done by Adrien Sier. Five birdies, no drop shots going out. And here he is at the first, his 10th. Beautiful shot. Look out. He’s gone to the same putter, he says, as Rory Mackoy. That’s made a big difference to his game. But if you clip it nicely out of the sand, you could put a bit of extra spin on it. What a shot that is. My goodness. 231 yds back to the T on seven for Sier. Best we’ve seen. astonishing. You can be going with a six that and it’s perfect. I mean, what a golf shot. You know, we used to play this Hazy in the 80s and 90s. Two T’s forwards. Eight iron from 188 up the hill. It’s a fine shot now. Ray Tan for his birdie after a good second shot and safe beautifully. Lovely putt. He gets to four under par. Oh, what a character. Yeah, rest in peace Fuzzy. He’s a great man. Well, a mistake from Howong Lee at 10. He’s over the back but Sadier [Music] very nicely done at nine. Now Hovland’s third shot off the downs slope to this par five ninth green. And what a fabulous shot. Brilliant to our leader Marcus Armatic. The sixth is his 15th hole today. He started at 10. It’s another super shot from Marcus. He’s got it on a piece of string out there today. He’s got quite the following out there. Nice to hear the support for Victor Hov making his debut. There’s Aiden H. calm swinger of the club. Yeah, just just trying to get his eye back in after two months off of family time which he says he enjoyed thoroughly. Family time and bri get rid of all the toys and play with the boxes the whole of Christmas day. We’ve been all been there, haven’t we? Garrick Higgo for a very nice birdie. at 12. Well, he went outside, but he dollared it down there and just fell in the top edge. Seven under. Christian and a lot of the South Africans, they’d love a South African winner. [Applause] The star is born is in uh or on the green in regulation again. So another chart and he’s banked it. My word. Can’t stop holding them, can he? His eighth birdie of the day. Just one to go. Got a beautiful rhythm going in his stroke, hasn’t he? Lee will probably find a bit with this wedge shot back pin. So I have to flirt with the back of the green if he wants to knock it stone dead which he did. And look at that. What a T-shot. I mean that is crazy long. 106 m his second shot. Well, yes. We saw he was in at 66 and that was an eagle at the ninth, his 18th, his second eagle of the back nine. Whoa, what a back n playing with potita. Howong Lee trying to find the green here at 16. Moving it from left to right. What a super shot. [Applause] The right hand that pinned front left. A beautiful drive. It’s not a long shot in there for his second shot and he’s done excellently. But getting back to that bunker shot there, I mean, even Simon Hobde would have been proud of that. [Music] Absolutely brilliant. Tristan Lawrence has seen exactly what this ball does from this side of the green. And this is his putt for a birdie. is to get to two under. Yes. Well done, Tristan. What a fight back. Okay. Three drop shots in a row on the front nine and he’s now two under par. Yeah. And three birdies in a row. Whoa. I tell you what, it is not the best part of his game, but I don’t think anyone on the planet could have played that much better. Sadier quite a ways back but a super iron shot from the Frenchman. Wow, look at that. It’s about as friendly as it gets. [Applause] This to move three under par. [Applause] Just about two birdies in the last three for Hland. He learned quite a lot by just the right amount. That’s a wonderful three. It’s not all gone his way over this back nine. Jeez, he does it with the swing there. Had a bit of a a tough summer. Look at this cracking and was just cutting across the ball a little bit too much and um yeah, he’s just got a little bit deeper in the in the back swing and things have turned around nicely for him over the last month. Oh, come on. Oh, nice. One of the truly great rounds here at Sun City. 62 is the course record. 63 just a shot from there. Well played sir. One to remember [Music] nicely tied it up from the green side for Victor Harland. 69. His first loop here at the Gary Player Country Club. It’s a successful one. [Music] Christopher 63 10 birdies to start your week here at the net bank. Try and describe that day out there for us. No, it was a it was a brilliant day. Very very happy. Um the way I played um yeah off the tea in towards the greens I was happy. A couple of wed shots that were really good. So that was nice to see and was rolling the putter well. So it was a it was a great start and I’m very very pleased. I was going to mention your approach play started at one. You had the bunker shot at six as well. You’ve got to be pleased with those. Yeah, for sure. Uh been working hard on it recently and um yeah, it’s good good to have those days where you see um that it’s improved and hoping to continue that really. How comfortable are you playing in South Africa? You said to me before, you’ve played on Hotel Planet a number of times in this country. Yeah, I’ve been comfortable. Yeah, but I haven’t had any particular particularly good results in South Africa. So, I’m hoping to change that this week, but um I am I am playing better overall um right now than I was when I played here previously. So, hoping that counts for something. Obviously started a new season a couple of weeks ago. You played 31 times last season. Can I ask what the energy levels are like as we coming towards the end of 2025? Yeah, it’s hard to Yes. stay on it. Uh with the kind of the intensity levels, uh all all the days just kind of blend into one. That’s what I found. Uh and that’s a little bit tricky, but um can’t really say that it’s been a mistake either because I’ve played some good golf. So um um but yeah, it’s been it’s been a lot for sure. That was great golf today, Christopher. Well player. Good luck tomorrow. Thank you very much. Thank you. 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