European Challenge Tour event in January 2011

The 2011 European Tour is underway in South Africa with the staging of the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the Leopard Creek Country Club in Malelane.

This will be the last year the European Tour starts its schedule in the late weeks of the previous year with all events in 2012 looking to come under a calendar year.

It is perhaps disappointing that the opening event of the year will not contain any of those players currently battling it out at the European Tour School as events of this nature do provide early season opportunities for starts for such players. That sort of clash can hopefully be avoided in the future.

The leader after the opening round is the South African Anthony Michael who leads by one over England’s Robert Rock, Germany’s Sebastian Buhl and Dawie Van der Walt.

New Zealand’s Mark Brown heads the Australasians following his round of 69 while recent recruit to the European Tour, Daniel Gaunt opened with a round of 71. Lismore’s Matthew Zions, also a recent Challenge Tour graduate, recorded a round of 74.