Herman Loubser and Sunshine Tour veteran Hennie Otto finished Thursday’s first round of the Mopani Zambia Open in a share of the lead following their rounds of five-under-par 67 at the Nkana Golf Club.
They are one stroke clear of Sweden’s Fredrik From and defending champion MJ Viljoen from South Africa.
Loubser, who started his round on the back nine and had to work for a few pars early on, claimed the early clubhouse lead with a solid round including three birdies and an eagle.
“I started off a little bit shaky but made good up-and-downs for par that kept the momentum going. My course management was good today. At the par-five second hole I holed it out of the bunker with my third shot for eagle, which I haven’t done in a while,” said Loubser, who wasn’t even born yet when his fellow leader Otto finished second in this tournament in 1998.
“The nice things about these tournaments are that all the guys stay in the same spot, so it’s always very social. The people here are so friendly. I love this place. Africa in general is just a fun experience,” Loubser said.
The young Sunshine Tour professional was delighted with his start and hopes to continue with this momentum.
“It’s quite a weird position to be in. Usually I try to shoot a low round to make the cut, but it’s nice to put myself in a good position.”
Meanwhile, Rowan Lester let slip a good start as he settled for a level-par 72 to lie five shots off the pace.
The Hermitage man was three-under for his round at the turn but three bogeys in four holes on the back nine halted his progress.
Liam Grehan carded a three-over 75.
Scoring HERE
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