Hoey one off the lead in Johannesburg

GOLF - JOBURG OPEN: Michael Hoey made a strong start to 2009 after shooting a seven-under-par 64 to lie second on the opening day of the Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The 29-year-old recorded no less than eight birdies with just one dropped shot on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. The Belfast pro reached the turn in four-under 32 with birdies at the first, fourth, sixth and eighth.

From there the former British Amateur champion picked up further shots with back-to-back birdies from the 10th plus a two at the short 16th. However, Hoey gave a shot back at the 17th but immediately bounced back with a birdie on the closing par five 18th.

Hoey, who returned to the main tour after coming through qualifying school, was one shot behind early leader Trevor Fisher Jnr from South Africa, who leads on eight-under after his opening 63 in the co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour event.

"I am pretty happy, I played here last year and the weather wasn't great," said Hoey after his round. "It didn't help as I wasn't playing well at all. I knew then that the east course was playing tough, it was really long.

"But today it was pretty hot so the ball was going longer and that helped. I got off to a good start as well, so it was pretty good.

"I had probably one of the only poor swings of the day on 17 and that cost me. But I actually played solid today."

Defending champion Richard Sterne was level through his opening three holes, with two-time major winner Retief Goosen one-over at the same stage.

Hoey is joined in the extended field by fellow Irishmen Michael McGeady, Noel Fox and Jonathan Caldwell. McGeady was one-under through three after his first birdie of the day at the second.

Fox, who topped the 2008 PGA Europro order of merit and has Pádraig Harrington's caddy, Ronan Flood, on the bag this week, opened with a one-over 72. The Dubliner mixed three birdies with four bogeys in his round. Caldwell also shot 72.

The first two rounds take place over the east and west courses with the last two rounds to be played on the east before the winner collects the top cheque of €174,350.

Collated scores - (Gbr & Irl unless stated, Irish in bold, par 71):

63Steven Jeppesen (Swe), Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa)

64 Michael Hoey

65Patrik Sjoland (Swe), David Drysdale, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Andrew McLardy (Rsa)

66Peter Kaensche (Nor), Jan Are Larsen (Nor), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Michele Reale (Ita), Martin Maritz (Rsa)

67David Carter, Hennie Otto (Rsa), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Brett Liddle (Rsa), Jean Hugo (Rsa), Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Danny Willett, Omar Sandys (Rsa), James Morrison, Alexandre Rocha (Bra), Carl Suneson (Spa), Oliver Bekker (Rsa), Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Taco Remkes (Ned), Justin Walters (Rsa), James Ruth

68Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa), Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Anders Schmidt Hansen (Den), Dion Fourie (Rsa), Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Charl Coetzee (Rsa), Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Martin Wiegele (Aut), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Richie Ramsay, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Bobby Lincoln (Rsa), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Kasper linnet Jorgensen (Den), David Dixon, Callie Swart (Rsa), Keith Horne (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg), Christopher Doak

69Carlos Del Moral (Spa), Steve Lewton, Mikko Korhonen (Fin), Jose-Filipe Lima (Por), John E Morgan, Ryan Thompson (Rsa), Federico Colombo (Ita), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa), Prinavin Nelson (Rsa), Chris Wood, Richard McEvoy, Andrew Curlewis (Rsa), Jake Roos (Rsa), Carlos Rodiles (Spa), Gary Lockerbie, Phillip Archer, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Andrew Wilson (Rsa), Wes Heffernan (Can), Nic Henning (Rsa), Doug McGuigan, Grant Veenstra (Rsa), Kevin Stone (Rsa), Joel Sjoholm (Swe), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Vaughn Groenewald (Rsa), David Hewan (Rsa), Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Henk Alberts (Rsa), Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Chris Williams (Rsa), James Kamte (Rsa)

70Chris Gane, Branden Grace (Rsa), Clodomiro Carranza (Arg), Andre Bossert (Swi), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Warren Abery (Rsa), Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Tyrone Mordt (Rsa), Peter Whiteford, Estanislao Goya (Arg), Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Tc Charamba (Zim), Ryan Cairns (Zim), Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Dominique Nouailhac (Fra), Grant Muller (Rsa), Mark f Haastrup (Den), Christiaan Basson (Rsa), Retief Goosen (Rsa), Edrich Jansen (Rsa), Dylan Frittelli (Rsa), Lorenzo Gagli (Ita), Ruan Botha (Rsa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa)

71Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Michael McGeady, James Kingston (Rsa), Anders Hansen (Den), Liam Bond, Gerhard Trytsman (Rsa), Ockie Strydom (Rsa), Iain Pyman,  Dale Marmion, Jacques Blaauw (Rsa), Alex Haindl (Rsa), Steve Basson (Rsa), Garry Houston, Alan McLean, Morne Buys (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Dawie Van der Walt (Rsa), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Marcus Higley, Nico Van Rensburg (Rsa), Richard Sterne (Rsa)

72 Jonathan Caldwell, John Mellor, Leif Westerberg (Swe), Graham De laet (Can), Noel Fox, Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice), David Frost (Rsa), Johan Etsebeth (Rsa), Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Wil Besseling (Ned), Thabang Simon (Rsa), Antti Ahokas (Fin), Cameron Johnston (Rsa), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Sam Little, Anthony Grenier (Fra), Anton Haig (Rsa), Keenan Davidse (Rsa), Andre Cruse (Rsa), Marc Cayeux (Zim), Sion Bebb, Gary Clark, Rolf Muntz (Ned), Sam Walker, Wallie Coetsee (Rsa)

73Neil Cheetham, Steven O'Hara, Simon Griffiths, Gregory Molteni (Ita), Johan De buisson (Rsa), Andrew McArthur, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Roland Steiner (Aut), Mark Murless (Rsa), Darryn Lloyd (Rsa), Marc Farry (Fra), Richard Bland, Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Stuart Manley, Bradley Davison (Rsa), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Ryan Tipping (Rsa)

74Reggie Adams (Rsa), Andrew Butterfield, Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa), Eugene Marugi (Rsa), Josh Cunliffe (Rsa), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Heinrich Bruiners (Rsa), Johan Wahlqvist (Swe), Bradford Vaughan (Rsa), Louis De jager (Rsa), Callum Macaulay, Ross Wellington (Rsa), Louis Moolman (Rsa), Teboho Sefatsa (Rsa), Michael Curtis (Zim), Van Phillips

75Alphuis Kelapile (Rsa), Jonathan Lomas, Derik Ferreira (Rsa), Riaan De bruyn (Rsa), Steve Van Vuuren (Rsa)

76Titch Moore (Rsa), Ben Evans, Andre Ferreira (Rsa), Pg Van zyl (Rsa), Lars Brovold (Nor), Javier Colomo (Spa), Rafael Echenique (Arg)

77Stuart Davis, Des Terblanche (Rsa), Neil Schietekat (Rsa)

78Dean Lambert (Rsa), Simon Wakefield, Mohammed Tayob (Rsa)

79David Griffiths

80Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Emmanuel Masoliedze (Rsa)

82Musolo Nethunzwi (Rsa)

84John Bele (Rsa)