Rowan Lester and Liam Grehan face an uphill task if they’re to see final-round action at the Sunshine Tour’s SunBet Challenge at Wild Coast Sun Country Club in Port Edward.
Both players started their opening rounds on the 10th hole and in the morning wave, and Lester, coming off the back of three consecutive made cuts and a worst finish of T31, found himself four-over after five holes after making four consecutive bogeys starting on the 11th.
He battled back to +2 by the turn, and added another birdie on the fourth but back-to-back bogeys on six and seven saw him slip back to +3 and end the day tied for 61st and one shot off the provisional cutline.
Grehan has one further stroke to make up after carding a four-over 74, covering each nine in +2 and making just one birdie which came on the 15th.
The good news for the Irish duo is that each of the three leading scores were all shot in the afternoon wave on day one, which is where both Lester and Grehan will be starting from on day two and just 24 of the 124-man field broke par on the opening day.
Englishman Joe Knox shares the lead with South African Jacques P de Villiers on seven-under, with another South African in Albert Venter lying solo third at -5.
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