|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Van Den Berg leads in Alfred Dunhill Championship |
 |
|
| |
|
Van Den Berg leads in Alfred Dunhill Championship |
|
::Thursday,10 December 2009 |
| |
|
Michael Vlismas
MALELANE, South Africa – It is said that putting most reveals a golfer’s state of mind. At a sweltering Leopard Creek on Thursday, Ulrich van den Berg was a picture of mental calmness as he putted superbly for a one-stroke lead in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
The Johannesburg professional opened with an eight-under-par 64 to finish the first round one stroke clear of Sweden’s Pelle Edberg and two ahead of South African Titch Moore and Italian Edoardo Molinari.
Former champion Charl Schwartzel finished the first day at five under, while Ernie Els opened with a round of 68 and defending champion Richard Sterne signed for a level par 72.
A number of players made early runs at the lead on a day when Leopard Creek was fairly forgiving.
James Kingston started his round with five consecutive birdies on his way to a 68. Thomas Aiken birdied his second hole of the day and then aced the par-three 12th, holing out with a seven iron from 176 metres. He went out in 32, but came home in 39 for a 71.
And David Hewan produced an amazing run of scoring featuring an eagle, birdie and albatross in three holes on his way to a 71.
Van Den Berg teed off at the 10th and went out in three under with a mixture of good putts for birdie and even better ones to save par. He then produced a run of five birdies in six holes from the first, before parring his way home through the most difficult stretch of holes seven, eight and nine. His biggest putt of the day was a 35-footer for birdie on the par-four fourth.
“This was probably my best putting round for some time. I normally watch this kind of putting display on TV. It’s not often that I manage to produce it myself,” said Van Den Berg, who may feel he has a score to settle with this tournament.
In 2005 he was on the brink of the biggest victory of his career. He led by two going into the final round that year, and birdied four of his first six holes to set a tremendous pace at the top of the leaderboard.
But with a three-stroke lead going into the back nine, Van Den Berg suffered a dramatic collapse that handed the tournament to Ernie Els.
The defeat was hard for Van Den Berg to process, and he abandoned the game for several months before returning to the fairways.
“I’ve been struggling with my game for at least a year now, and haven’t been anywhere near my best,” he said. “I’ve felt my game has been coming around, but mentally I’ve just been all over the show. But I felt very peaceful and relaxed out there. For me, it always depends on my putting. If my putting is good then I feel I can relax.”
Behind him, the eccentric Edberg is chasing victory in a tournament where he finished tied sixth last year. And he chalked up a first in his career on Thursday, namely his earliest start to a tournament.
With a tee-off time of 6:30, the Swede was up at 3:50 to catch a courtesy vehicle from Nelspruit to Leopard Creek. “But the driver got up an hour earlier, so I feel really bad for him,” he said. “I was on the practice tee at 5:40, and made my first birdie of the round at 6:45. That’s the earliest birdie I’ve ever made in my career.” |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
