Daniel van Tonder, who is second on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, shot a nine-under par 63 at Koro Creek, to lead the co-sanctioned European Challenge Tour event.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES.

DANIEL van Tonder carded a brilliant nine-under par 63 at Koro Creek Golf Club to take a two-shot lead into the second day of the Limpopo Championship.

The 28-year-old South African is looking to secure his first European Challenge Tour victory at the co-sanctioned Sunshine Tour event in the season-opener.

Van Tonder wasted little time charging to the top of the leaderboard, opening his title bid with an eagle before reeling off seven further gains on day one.

The first event of the season is played across two courses and local teenager Wilco Nienaber and Greek Sunshine Tour player Peter Karmis, who began their title challenge at Euphoria Golf Club, shot seven-under.

They share second place with South African duo Hennie du Plessis and MJ Viljoen, who tackled Koro Creek.

Van Tonder will now travel to Euphoria, where he claimed the second of his three Sunshine Tour victories in 2014.

After the field play one round at both Koro Creek and Euphoria the competitors are whittled down to the top 60 and ties who will compete for the title at Euphoria over the weekend.

“I’m delighted with that score today,” said van Tonder. “I missed a few birdie opportunities out there. But nine-under par is a great way to start.

“It’s not a long course so it is important to plot your way around and if you manage to get your tee shot away, then you give yourself a great birdie opportunity, which I managed to do really successfully.”

While the Limpopo Championship begins the 2020 Road to Mallorca, van Tonder is also targeting a maiden victory on the 2020 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, with the 28-year-old occupying second place with just four events of the Southern African’s circuit season remaining.

“I think it’s a really good thing for the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour to compete together, and it was fun to play with Spanish player Pep Angles out there who is a good friend,” added Van Tonder.

“I’ve been playing well for a while and I think my game is good enough to have a chance to win.

“So I’m going to go out and give myself a chance and we’ll see at the end of the day.”

Defending champion JC Ritchie and his fellow South Africans Anton Haig and Rourke van der Spuy share sixth place on six-under.

They were joined on the mark by Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer and Jonas Kölbing, Essex’s former English Amateur Champion Todd Clements and Sweden’s Philip Eriksson.

The 2020 Challenge Tour Road to Mallorca will offer 20 full European Tour cards for 2021 – up from 15 in 2019.

First round leader van Tonder will get his second round under way at 11.20am local time, with the action continuing at both courses at 6.30am.

•Click here for live scoring.

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Wiltshire’s Ben Stow is looking for a fast start to the 2020 European Tour Challenge Tour season when he tees it up in the new South Africa swing at the Limpopo Championship. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow is aiming for a winning start to the European Challenge Tour season at this week’s Limpopo Championship.

A Walker Cup winner five years ago, Stow is looking to put the disappointment of narrowly missing out on his 2020 European Tour card behind him.

The European Challenge Tour travels to South Africa for the first time in the Tour’s history, with the co-sanctioned event (January 30-February 2) providing an early opportunity for the Englishman to throw down the gauntlet to his fellow Challenge Tour members.

Stow, who won the Brabazon Trophy at the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship in 2014, finished 17th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2019.

That was two spots outside the graduation places, having battled injury during the second half of the season.

The 28-year-old Rushmore Park member has finished in the top 30 in the Race to Mallorca Rankings for three consecutive years.

And with 20 cards available in 2020, up from 15 last year, is confident this can be the year he secures a maiden full season on the European Tour.

“I played consistency all year really,” said Stow. “I think I only missed two cuts all season and had ten top 10s – but managed to finish 17^th on the rankings at the end of the year.

“I think it’s really good the Challenge Tour has 20 cards this season – and it’s a move that’s been popular with the players.

“The Challenge Tour is a really good test of golf and you have to maintain that form over the course of the season, so it seems like a good move.”

With the last three winners of the opening event on the Road to Mallorca going on to secure their European Tour playing rights at the conclusion of the campaign, Stow recognises the importance of a fast start.

The youngest-ever Wiltshire Amateur Champion at 16 in 2008, said: “There is almost a million euros to play for over the next three weeks.

“So it is important to play well over these opening tournaments in South Africa and start to build some momentum.

“That’s something I’ve been able to do well over my career. Spending some time in the off-season with my coach and then trying to come out and hit the ground running.

“I’m very excited and I believe I can do very good things,” said Stow, the South Western Counties 2011 Amateur Champion, who pipped fellow Challenge Tour player Rhys Enoch, at Saunton, that summer.

Stow will get his opening round under way at 11.10 am local time at Euphoria, with play beginning at 6.30am at Koro Creek and Euphoria.

•Follow live scoring here.

Limpopo first leg of South African swing

THE Limpopo Championship is the first of three events in South Africa on the Challenge Tour schedule.

The RAM Cape Town Open takes place from February 6-9, and the Dimension Data Pro-Am is being staged from February 13-16 forming the first three events of the season.

This week’s action will feature 204 players from the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

They are bidding for a lion’s share of the $250,000 prize fund, with the field playing one round at both Euphoria and Koro Creek before the top 60 and ties make it through to the weekend at Euphoria.\

•Hampshire’s Harry Ellis, the 2017 Amtaeur Champion, who had limited starts on the Challenge Tour in 2019, is in the field this week and tees off on the Euphoria Course at 6.30am – which is two hours ahead of GMT.

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