Liam Grehan is off to a fine start at the Sunshine Tour’s SunBet Challenge hosted by Wild Coast Sun at the Country Club bearing the same name and he sits just two shots off the lead and tied for second with 18 holes in the books.
The K Club man returned from the mid-season break and posted his best finish of the season to date with a tie for 10th at the Sunbet Challenge hosted by Times Square Casino in Pretoria before illness resulted in a missed cut at the Eswatini Challenge a week later, but with that firmly in the rearview mirror, he handled the tough conditions at Wild Coast Sun impressively on day one.
Back-to-back birdies was an ideal start in the afternoon wave, but he remained at two-under entering the final three holes after two further birdies were cancelled out by two bogeys.
A birdie on the par-5 16th got him back to -3 and he signed off in style with a tap-in birdie at the last to post a four-under 66 that sees him part of an eight-strong group tied for second, two shots behind solo leader Stals Swart of South Africa.
“I played lovely today,” Grehan said afterwards. “I have been working hard on my wedge play and it’s starting to pay off with having a few kick-ins today. Which was nice as the greens are seriously grainy so hitting it close made a real difference.”
Grehan found 17 of the 18 greens in regulation which was impressive in windy conditions, and should give him confidence going into round two of the 54-hole event with the wind set to blow even stronger.
“I have been feeling really good with my game the last while, so I’m just trying to keep out of my own way and let it happen,” he explained.
“And we’re in for a West of Ireland-style day tomorrow, so hopefully that will play into my hands.”
Rowan Lester birdied the ninth – his 18th – to claw his way back to level-par and get his head back above the provisional cutline with 60 players on that number or better.
The Hermitage man started the season strongly but has struggled to regain his form since the mid-season interval, but making the cut here would go a long way to restoring his confidence going into the heaviest part of the Sunshine Tour schedule.
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