Louis Oosthuizen was the leading South African after round one of The PLAYERS Championship in Florida on Thursday.
Chasing his second PGA Tour title, Oosthuizen opened with a three under par 69 to sit two shots off the lead held by Mackenzie Hughes and William McGirt.
A birdie at 2 and a bogey on 8 saw Oosthuizen turn in 36, but a trio of birdies in succession starting at 14 helped move the one-time Major winner steadily up the field as the afternoon field struggled to cope with conditions.
Branden Grace is the only other South African under par after Thursday, as he made three birdies and two bogeys to finish with a -1 71 for his efforts. Grace is T32 and far from out of contention at this point.
Veteran campaigner Ernie Els is in 83rd spot after opening with a 74. Tyrone van Aswegen is one shot further back, while South Africa’s top-ranked player, Charl Schwartzel, has plenty to do after firing a 76 on Thursday.
