DURBAN, South Africa, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Scotland's Alastair Forsyth made a flying start Thursday in his bid to regain his European Tour card, which he lost in controversial circumstances last year.
Forsyth fired a first-round 6-under-par 66 at the
South African Open and was just two shots behind leader Carl Pettersson of Sweden at the tour's season-opener.
Tied with Forsyth for second were England's Andrew Butterfield and the South African quartet of Des Terblanche, Ashley Roestoff, James Kingston and Tim Clark.
Forsyth is playing the 500,000-pound event on an invitation after missing out on his card by just one place on the Order of Merit last year.
Forsyth was happy with his first round of the season. Pettersson fired eight birdies in his superb 64, though his practice sessions at home in North Carolina were cut short by an uncommon heavy snowfall.
"I went to Sweden to see my grandparents for six days, but then went back to Raleigh, where I live, and started practicing again on Dec. 27," he said. "But three days later, we had 10 inches of snow, which is not very common, so I didn't get much practice before coming here."
Petterson, 24, is third on the Order of Merit, courtesy of finishing fourth and fifth in Taiwan and Hong Kong in November and December last year.
European No. 1 and U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen was just three shots off the pace after an error-free 67.
Goosen's World Cup-winning teammate, Ernie Els, would have happily settled for anything like that after struggling to a 1-over 73 that left him nine shots off the pace.
