Van de Merwe takes the lead

WILLIE van der Merwe dropped two shots coming home to finish in a three-way tie for the early clubhouse yesterday in the first round of the R1-million MTC Namibia PGA Championship being played at the Rossmund Golf Club.

His four-under 68 equalled the marks posted by Alan McLean and Neil Cheetham, and led by a single stroke from a group of six players on three-under 69.Van der Merwe had moved to six-under on the homeward nine, but then he made bogey five on the 367-metre 14th and dropped another shot on the 400-metre 17th to slip back into the pack.The players all found it difficult to adapt to one of just five registered 18-hole all-grass desert courses in the world.In the group on three-under were Mark Murless and Grant Muller, both of whom got their scores to four-under during their rounds, but were unable to keep it up as they, too, fell victim to the tough inward nine.Scores (RSA unless specified):-4 – Alan McLean (SCO), Neil Cheetham (ENG), Willie van der Merwe, -3 – Doug McGuigan, Mark Murless, Grant Muller, Dion Fourie, Dawie Van der Walt, Henk Alberts, -2 – Wesley Horngren, Jean Hugo, Adilson da Silva (BRA), Vaughn Groenewald, Brandon Pieters, -1 – Michael du Toit, Riaan de Bruyn, Callie Swart, Andre Cruse, David Hewan, Charl Coetzee, Par – Alex Haindl, PH McIntyre, Hennie Otto, Shaun Norris, Andrew Curlewis, Josh Cunliffe, Neil Schietekat, Thabang Simon, Steve Basson, Merrick Bremner, Louis Calitz, +1 – Irvin Mazibuko, Chris Swanepoel, Keenan Davidse, Louis Moolman, Teboho Sefatsa, +2 – Reggie Adams, Des Terblanche, Wallie Coetsee, Robert Wiederkehr (SUI), Dewald Smit, Roberto Lupini, +3 – Tyran van Lieshout, Pierre Steyn, Gary van Vreden, Grant Veenstra, +4 – Francois Olivier, Kangwine Chiluba (ZAM), Andrew Odoh (NGA), Alain Norris, Lindani Ndwandwe, Niki Ferrari (GER), +5 – Andrew Mackie, Theunis Spangenberg, Stuart Clark (WAL), +6 – Callie Burger, Divan van den Heever, Ryan Cairns (ZIM), Edrich Jansen, Brandon Gouveris, Ernest Moloi (LES), +7 – Cameron Johnston, Eugen Marugi, Brett Liddle, +8 – Andrew Cassisa, +16 – Ben du Toit. – Sunshine Tour