Liam Nolan kept things simple on day one of the SDC Open as his tactical approach paid off with a bogey-free round of 69 to put him in early contention.
Nolan is playing on an invite at the opening event of the HotelPlanner Tour at Zebula Golf Estate and he took full advantage, rolling in three birdies on the par fives 2nd, 6th and 15th as he climbed into a share of 11th place on three-under-par, three shy of early leader Altin Van Der Merwe.
The 24-year-old was pleased with his approach to the round as he prioritised accuracy off the tee in order to control shots into the greens which are very firm in the sweltering conditions.
“Very solid, I drove the ball lovely so I was in good positions off the tee which made some of the holes a lot easier because coming from the rough these greens are very firm and it’s very hard to plot your way around from the rough,” Nolan said after his round.
“I played really solidly, no birdies and birdied three par fives, try birdie a few par fours and threes tomorrow!”
Nolan has full Alps Tour status for the year ahead but is in South Africa on invites for this week and next week so it’s a big opportunity for him to impress and perhaps earn more chances on Europe’s second tier.
“I was talking with my caddie on every hole and we were just saying what’s the easiest way to hit the fairway here,” said the Galway man.
“If you do that you have a great chance of making pars and birdies so that’s what we did. Driving and iron game was good and pace putting was good so hopefully more of the same.”
Nolan hasn’t played competitively since the LIV Promotions event last month and although he felt good in practice he wasn’t entirely sure how he would perform with a card in his pocket.
“A lot of people haven’t played a competition before Christmas so even though you know you are playing well until you get out there in a tournament setting it’s hard to fully know so it’s great to have a good round under my belt for the rest of the week.”
Nolan has some experience in South Africa having been part of the annual Golf Ireland trip to the country during his amateur career so if there was ever a place he wanted to start his maiden professional campaign he’s happy it’s in a place he knows.
“Being an Irishman it’s about conserving energy and just staying in the shade as much as possible. First time in Zebula, not first time in South Africa I was here as an amateur in 2022 and loved it then so I was really eager to come back. The people are lovely, the food is lovely and the golf is amazing so you can’t ask for more in January.”
Nolan’s former Irish international teammate Max Kennedy is also in the field this week on a full card for the HotelPlanner Tour and is one-over through three holes.
Scoring HERE
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