St Andrews: Whether it was the presence of Hugh Grant in his fourball, getting everyone to relax with his sharp wit, or whether it was just his superb shot-making skills didn't matter. It was probably a combination of both as Sweden's Alex Noren produced a brilliant, eight-under-par course record 64 at Carnoustie to take the first round lead in the Alfred Dunhill LInks Championship on Thursday.
The best placed South African last night was Jbe Kruger, who signed for a 68 on the Old Course at St Andrews, and the Old Course is certainly a touch easier than Carnoustie. So he's four off the lead but anything can happen with three rounds to go and it wasn't at all a bad day for the South Africans in the field for this $5-million event, one of the biggest prize funds on the European Tour.
"I putted great, yeah, and all three courses are in the best shape I've ever seen them. Also, the greens are running great and with me playing one of the best rounds of my life, the result was a 64 and I'm pretty happy." said the 34-year-old who is having a brilliant year, having already won the Scottish Open and the European Masters in 2016.
When Louis Oosthuizen hooked his approach out of bounds - his ball ended up under a bench and appeared to wake up two dozing elderly Scotsmen - at Carnoustie's treacherous par-4 18th hole where Jean van de Velde threw away the British IOpen in 1999. it cost him a double-bogey six. It might erven have been a seven if he hadn't got up and down from a difficult spot in a greenside bunker. In any event, this was Oosthuizen's ninth hole of the day and at that stage he was three-over-par and his prospects weren't looking too good. But in determined fashion the 2010 Oopen champion then birdied holes 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7.to quickly move to two undfer. He did bogey the ninth but signing for a 71 after that error-filled opening loop will have given him plenty of hope for the next 54 holes.
Richard Sterne, on the same course - Carnoustie is by some distance the toughest of the three courses used for this LInks showpiece - also recovered well after a double-bogey six start at the 10th hole. He then birdied four of the next five holes and would sign for a very handy three-under-par 69 at the end of a windswept round.
On reflection, considering how severe a test Carnoustie is, Sterne was arguably the best of the South Africans Thursday.
Young, promising Rhys West was home in 69 at Kingsbarns, as was Ulrich van den Berg, while Jaco Ahlers had a 70 at St Andrews. Ahlers did have it to three under after eagling the long 14th, but the back nine was tough into a strong breeze and, like many players, he dropped a shot at the Road Hole 17th, one of the most demanding holes in all of golf.
Also at St Andrews, Jean Hugo shot 70 and Dean Burmester 71. George Coetzee carded a level-par 72 at Carnoustie while Branden Grace, at 14th the second highest player in the world rankings in the field here behind world No 9 Danny Willett, could only manage a 73.
Christiaan Bezuidenout was disappointed to score 74 at St Andrews, although his round had started in promising fashion with a birdie three at the first and then at the fourth, a longish par-4 at 480 yards, he hit three-wood off the tee and a five-iron into the hole for an eagle-two. "It is pretty special to make an eagle like at the Home of Golf," he said. "The ball rode the wind beautifully but I couldn't see where it finished because the putting surface wasn't visible from where I was. When I got to the green I still couldn't see my ball and thought maybe it had run through and over the back. But then my caddie looked into the hole and there it was."
Bezuidenhout partnered Mark Boucher with Shane Warne also in the group. "So that was great, and tomorrow I've got another cricketing great KP (Kevin Pietersen). I had a bit of bad luck on my back nine today against the wind, but at least the day was a pretty special experience with the eagle and the guys I played with."
Van den Berg and his South African partner Allan Stanton were leading the separate pro-am last night on a betterball 12-under-par. Stanton is vice-president in the Middle East for Gulfstream Aerospace. He loves big game fishing for tuna and sailfishi, and has boats in Dubai and Oman. He is a member of Dubai Creek and Leopard Creek.
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