Galway’s Liam Nolan continued his dream begin to the season on the HotelPlanner Tour when he opened with a tidy three-under 69 within the C Cell Cape City Open in affiliation with Honor.
The Barna golfer (24) completed his opening spherical simply two photographs off the clubhouse lead after he overcame windy circumstances at Royal Cape and adopted a bogey on the thirteenth (his fourth) with birdies on the sixteenth, 18th, first and seventh.
South Africa’s Justin Walters and Spain’s Borja Virto carded five-under 67s to steer by one stroke within the clubhouse from Malcolm Mitchell with Nolan tied for fourth.
“Very blissful once more,” stated Nolan, who completed third within the SDC Open and fourth in final week’s MyLife Open hosted by Pecanwood Property to lie second within the Street to Mallorca standings with the highest 20 on the finish of the season awarded DP World Tour playing cards.
“I performed some pretty golf at this time in robust circumstances. It is a tight golf course with plenty of wind, so it was a case of simply plugging away, attempting to make as many pars as attainable, and hopefully just a few putts drop, they usually did at this time.”
A contemporary breeze made for demanding circumstances at tight Royal Cape, however that was meat and drink to a participant who’s enjoying with nice confidence after back-to-back top-five finishes allowed him to assert his place within the discipline this week regardless of not having standing on the second tier tour.
“It was extra enjoying like at residence on the market,” stated Nolan. “Now it is simply preserve the ball flight as near the bottom as you possibly can; do not actually let the ball up and take your time, particularly within the wind because it picks up.”
As for the course, he stated: “It is so completely different. All three programs we have performed out right here have been so completely different. However in case you hit it straight and also you’re tidy across the greens out right here, it is a gettable course for certain.”
Nolan did not qualify for the Closing Stage of final 12 months’s DP World Tour Qualifying Faculty by only one stroke, however he’s taking full benefit of his alternatives.
He acquired invites from the Golf Eire Skilled Scheme into the primary two occasions however solely wanted to make use of the primary of them after ending third to Daniel Van Tonder within the SDC Open in Limpopo.
High 5 finishes are required to earn spots in subsequent co-sanctioned occasions on the Sunshine Tour, however after pulling that feat off final week, he’s not but fascinated with what he has to do to earn one other prime 5 this week and a spot in subsequent week’s NTT Information Professional-Am at Fancourt.
“I felt assured, however I had no huge expectations coming into the weeks out right here,” he stated of his lightning-fast begin to 2025. “Within the first couple of tournaments of the 12 months, you see the way you play, see if there’s something it’s worthwhile to work on and repair it shortly early within the season.
“However I have been actually having fun with it, enjoying actually properly, and hopefully it continues.”
As for notching one other top-five this week, he stated it wasn’t on his thoughts.
“Definitely not but, possibly coming down the final two holes on Sunday, if I am in that place.
“I am simply going to try to preserve as near the highest of the leaderboard as I can for the primary three days and see the place I am sitting on Sunday.”
Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell shot a degree par 72, however Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy has his work minimize out to keep away from a 3rd successive missed minimize.
The Dubliner went out in degree par however coated the entrance 9, his final 9 holes, in 42, ending with a double-bogey six for a 78.
Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy was among the many later starters.
