Sweden's Steven Jeppesen and South African journeyman Trevor Fisher junior were tied for the lead after the first round of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Thursday. Jeppesen and Fisher both dropped one stroke on their way to eight-under-par 63s on the easier West Course that left them a stroke ahead of Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey who fired a 64 on the lengthy East Course. The Dubai-based Jeppesen lost his European Tour card in 2007 and called the prospect of winning the co-sanctioned Joburg Open a “life-changing thing”. Spain's Alfredo Garcia-Heredia was in a six-man tie for fourth place on six under par, despite being unable to play with his own clubs which were left in France by the airline he used to fly to South Africa. The 27-year-old borrowed clubs from the assistant director of golf at the course and fired six birdies and an eagle, dropping just one stroke, on the West Course. Defending champion Richard Sterne, third in the Race to Dubai after winning both previous co-sanctioned events in South Africa, struggled to get going on the greens as he finished with a level-par 71 on the East Course.
