The 6ft 8in South African had qualified for the event by winning the Amateur Championship at Hillside last month.
The 22-year-old had birdies at the third, fifth, sixth and 10th holes but dropped back to three-under par with a bogey at the par-five 11th, with many of the big names in the 156-man field having not yet teed off.
Growing up three hours from Cape Town on the east coast of South Africa, his game is suited to links golf, having grown accustomed to playing in the windy conditions expected this week, and he immediately looked at ease.
With some blue skies, today is expected to comfortably be the best of the weather over the next four days.
This story is from the July 20, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the July 20, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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