Max Homa Shares First-Round Lead with Nicolai Højgaard, Dan Bradbury, Vincent Norrman at Nedbank Golf Challenge
Max Homa returns from longest break to tie for Nedbank Challenge lead despite nerves, while Nicolai Højgaard rebounds from last year's struggle; Ryder Cup snub Adrian Meronk trails behind by one stroke.
- Max Homa returned from his longest break from golf, scoring a tournament-leading 6-under 66 in the first round at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, despite admitting to feeling anxious about the state of his game.
- Nicolai Højgaard, who previously struggled last year at the Ryder Cup and the Nedbank Golf Challenge, staged a strong comeback by also carding a 6-under 66 with eight birdies, thanks to his accuracy off the tee.
- Alongside Homa and Højgaard, the first-round lead was shared with Dan Bradbury, who last year won the Joburg Open in South Africa, and Vincent Norrman, the recent winner of the Irish Open.
- Adrian Meronk, who missed out on the Ryder Cup, trailed behind the leaders by just one stroke after carding a 5-under 67, while Francesco Molinari, the 2018 Champion Golfer of the Year, lurked silently at 4-under.
- Other highlights included a solid performance from Rasmus Højgaard, Nicolai's twin brother, at 3-under; a disappointing double bogey from Tommy Fleetwood; and an underwhelming performance by Justin Thomas, who finished at even-par.