Andy DevaneySunshine Tour rookie Travis Procter had his girlfriend on the bag and birdies on the brain as he joined Nikhil Rama at the top of the leaderboard in Kigali. Both opened with nine-under-par 63s, leaving a sizeable chasing pack with work to do.
There are worse ways to finish a round of golf than chipping in for birdie at the 18th. Travis Procter chose that particular flourish on Thursday, completing a nine-under-par 63 to join Nikhil Rama at the top of the Rwanda Open leaderboard.
The Sunshine Tour rookie and his more experienced compatriot took rather different routes to their matching scores at Kigali Golf Resort & Villas, where the inaugural tournament produced an opening day of impressive scoring.
Rama assembled a bogey-free round featuring nine birdies, while Procter mixed a spectacular mid-round scoring spree with a late recovery after his only bogey.
Graham van der Merwe sits just one stroke behind following a 64, with another four players at seven under. Eighteen holes in, there is already plenty of traffic near the summit.
Seven birdies in nine holes for Procter
Procter’s opening round took a little while to find its feet. Once it did, the birdies arrived with the sort of regularity that tends to make a golfer forget there are pars available.
Starting at the fourth hole, he collected seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch through the 12th. It was an extraordinary burst of scoring from a Sunshine Tour rookie, made all the more memorable by the person carrying his clubs.
His girlfriend was making her first appearance as his caddie. Judging by the scorecard, their working relationship has begun reasonably well.
“It’s just one of those rounds where everything kind of worked. I got off to a slowish start and then I made a couple of putts that carried on the momentum. I told my girlfriend that I wasn’t going to slow down – I just wanted to keep firing. It’s her first time on the bag and it’s a lot of fun. We are having a good time,” Procter said.
There was one interruption to the procession.
A bogey at the par-three 13th briefly halted his progress, but Procter responded by making three birdies over his final four holes. The last of those required no help from the putter, as he chipped in for a three at the par-four 18th.
“The chip-in on the last hole is always nice. All in all I am very happy with the day,” he said.
Nine under par, a share of the lead and a first-time caddie with a rather memorable opening assignment. Not a bad day’s work.
Rama keeps the bogeys off his card
While Procter supplied the dramatic finish, Rama delivered a round that was equally effective without surrendering a single shot.
After opening with a par, he reeled off five consecutive birdies, establishing the foundation for a bogey-free 63. Four further birdies completed his nine-under-par effort and secured his place alongside Procter.
For Rama, the opening round represents another opportunity to turn consistent performances into a maiden Sunshine Tour victory.
He has already recorded four top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up result at the Sunbet Challenge Wild Coast tournament in August. He has been getting himself into contention; the next challenge is converting one of those opportunities into a title.
His opening performance in Kigali has given him another chance.
The contrast between the two leaders is an appealing one. Procter is a rookie enjoying a remarkable round with his girlfriend alongside him. Rama has the experience of several strong finishes this season and a first Sunshine Tour title still to pursue.
The scorecard, of course, is entirely uninterested in their respective stories. Both have 63.
Graham van der Merwe leads the chasing pack
The two leaders have little room for complacency, with Graham van der Merwe immediately behind them on eight under par.
His opening 64 contained just one dropped shot, leaving him a single stroke away from joining Procter and Rama at the top.
Another shot back, four players share seven under: Altin van der Merwe, Jason Roets, Ryan van der Kils and Jaden Deltel.
That leaves seven players within two strokes of the lead after the opening round, a particularly tight gathering given the standard of scoring required to get there.
Procter has the satisfaction of a spectacular finish and the prospect of building on his breakthrough opening round. Rama has another opportunity to chase the victory that has so far eluded him.
And somewhere in the middle of it all is a first-time caddie who has already discovered that carrying the bag for a professional golfer can be rather good fun.
