DIGEST/ PGA TOUR: While the elite of the game were several hundred miles north at the WGC Accenture matchplay in Arizona, the remainder of the PGA Tour were in Playa Del Carmen about 25 miles south of Cancun on Caribbean Coast of Mexico for the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
And John Merrick took his chance with an eight-under-par 64 to claim the early lead.
The American is one clear of Larry Mize, Robert Damron and Australian David Lutterus in the first official PGA Tour event to be played in Mexico. The event is being played at the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón golf course.
Brian Gay is on 66 while Tim Petrovic, Steve Marino , Kevin Stadler and Greg Kraft share sixth place on 67 as the early starters completed their first round.
SUNSHINE TOUR: Tyrone van Aswegen and Shane Pringle enjoyed a fiery start to emerge as the joint first round leaders at the Telkom PGA Championship but defending champion Louis Oosthuizen was lurking in the wings yesterday.
It was a dream start for the leading duo at the Country Club Johannesburg, who collected nine birdies and a bogey apiece to set the official course record at eight-under-par 64.
Pringle, who even had to deal with his pants splitting at the 14th, came home in halves of 30 and 34, while Van Aswegen signed for matching 32s, narrowly missing a chip-in for a birdie at the closing hole.
Four-time CCJ club champion David Hewan was hot on their trail, a stroke off the pace in the €216,000 Sunshine Tour event.
But the attention will be on Oosthuizen, who drummed up seven birdies against an early bogey to finish within two shots of the leaders, tied for fourth with unheralded Kieran Court.
The pocket rocket from Mossel Bay looks to be recovering well from a torn back muscle and is showing the same kind of prowess that saw him claim the title by one shot from Richard Sterne last year.
Jake Roos, Dion Fourie and Zimbabweans Ryan Cairns and the irrepressible Marc Cayeux are tied for sixth at five-under.
ASIAN TOUR: Indian stalwart Jyoti Randhawa moved into a familiar pole position with a four-under-par 68 to share the halfway lead with overnight co-leader Tony Carolan at the $400,000 SAIL Open presented by Jaypee Greens yesterday.
Randhawa and Carolan, who head the field with a two-day aggregate of nine-under-par 135, were one stroke ahead of 45-year-old veteran Wang Ter Chang of Chinese Taipei, whose brilliant 67 hauled him into contention.
Tied for fourth on 137 were overnight joint-leader Ross Bain of Scotland, who stayed in the hunt with a 71, Fijian Dinesh Chand, who carded a 70, big-hitting Australian Scott Hend (70) and the surprise of the pack, 43-year-old Indian Dinesh Kumar, who fired a 69.
PORTUGUESE AMATEUR: Paul Cutler is three shots off the pace after the first round of the Portuguese International Amateur Championship at Estela GC, Oporto yesterday.
England's veteran Gary Wolstenholme and Sweden's Mattias Nordqvist set the first round pace with three-under-par 69s with Cutler back on level par 72.
Cian Curley is next best of the Irish six-man challenge with a first round 74, Paul O'Hanlon shot 75 with Niall Kearney and Shane Lowry on 76 and Pat Murray on 78.
