SUN CITY (North West) – Max Homa began the defence of his Nedbank Golf Challenge title in the same way he ended it last year – at the top of the leaderboard.
The six-time PGA Tour champion birdied his first three holes and opened with a six-under-par 66 to lead the first round by a single stroke over South Africa’s Ockie Strydom.
Homa did drop two shots on the back nine, but then finished strong with birdies at 17 and 18 to give him the confidence that what he’s been working on with his swing combined with his love for this tournament is coming together very nicely this week.
“I haven’t played a tournament in a while and I’ve been working on a lot of new things so it felt really good to come out and birdie the first three holes. I felt really comfortable with the golf swing. As far as first rounds defending my title, it’s definitely one I’ll remember,” said Homa.
A day of intense heat and the traditionally fickle winds on this golf course tested the 66-man field on day one.
“It was really tricky with the wind. It threw us for a bit of a loop but I thought I did a really good job of adjusting to it. Overall I did a good job of playing within myself and not hitting shots I don’t really love to hit. You come to a golf course like this where you cannot fake it off the tee. You have to hit good tee shots here.
“I was a little sloppy on the back nine but I still liked the way I was swinging it. I’m very happy with the last two holes because those are two difficult holes so to make birdie there was great. There’s a long way to go but it’s really cool to see some more good golf here.”
Behind him, Strydom feels equally comfortable on a course he’s played countless rounds of golf on in Sunshine Tour events here.
“It’s good to be back home. I love it here. I know the golf course and it’s looking great. This is Africa’s Major. All the South Africans dream of playing here, so just to be here is something special.”
Strydom was particularly impressive on the par fives, highlighted by his eagle on the 14th.
“You have to score on the par fives here. The par fours and par threes are tricky, so to be minus four on the par fives is decent. But overall, I’ve been struggling with injuries so to be pain free and out there competing again is very pleasant.”
