Allenby leads but McIlroy below par in Sun City

NEDBANK CHALLENGE:AUSTRALIAN ROBERT Allenby led the Sun City Challenge by a stroke after a first-round 68 at the Gary Player Country Club yesterday.

Allenby carded a bogey-free round, featuring three birdies on the front nine and one on the back.

It wasn’t such a good day for Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, however, who appeared out of sorts from the start and was reported to have been put on a drip during a two-hour thunderstorm suspension.

The world number 10 returned to birdie the final two holes, but a one over 73 left the 20-year-old bringing up the rear with Englands Ross Fisher and American Nick Watney.

After hitting the first shot of the tournament straight down the middle and making a safe par, Allenby went on to make the most of the par-fives with birdies on the second, ninth and 14th holes.

The Presidents Cup International team member’s other birdie came at the par-four fifth.

“I was playing pretty consistently today,” Allenby said. “I was trying to keep it on the fairway, keep it on the green and make putts. I’m hitting my driver straight and I was definitely happy with the way I played.”

Home players Retief Goosen and Tim Clark led the challenge to Allenby with both South Africans scoring three-under-par 69.

Clark recorded four birdies and one bogey in his round, the high point of which was the 30-foot birdie putt he holed on the 17th.

“Earlier this week I didn’t feel good with my game at all, but it was a bit better today,” said Clark. “I’m definitely not driving the ball as well as I could, but I didn’t get in any trouble barring the eighth, where I drove it in the bush.

“I would have been disappointed with an even-par round today. The pins were fairly generous so there were birdies out there.”

Goosen reached four-under with four birdies in the first 12 holes but the former US Open champion dropped three shots when he bogeyed the 14th and double-bogeyed the 15th.

He made up for it by holing a sand wedge shot from 120 metres for an eagle on the par-four 17th.

“On 14 I had mud on the ball and it just came out hooking, and 15 was just a bad tee shot that hit a tree and went 30 yards left,” said Goosen. “But I thought to myself that 16, 17 and 18 were sort of playing downwind and if I could make a couple of birdies it would still be a good round. And I ended up making eagle.”

Last year’s winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden was on two under with compatriot Robert Karlsson and American Hunter Mahan.

Masters champion Angel Cabrera was the only other member of the 12-man field to break par. He finished with a one-under-par 71.

Lightning and rain forced the players from the course at 2.05pm (12.05pm). Although the break lasted two hours, the field was able to complete the first round.

Luke Donald was one better than McIlroy thanks to a closing birdie which continued his recovery from a double-bogey seven at the second and bogey on the next.

Even the player who finishes last walks away with €132,000, but with nobody more than five behind everything is still up for grabs for the entire field.