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EAST LONDON, South Africa – Ricardo Santos of Portugal fired a 9-under 62 for a two-shot lead in the first round of the Africa Open on Thursday.
Santos had five birdies going out and four birdies coming in for a flawless opening round at East London Golf Club.
In a four-way tie for second were Denmark's Lucas Bjerregaard, Wales' Rhys Davies, South Africa's Garth Mulroy and England's Richard Bland, who all shot 64s.
Americans Brinson Paolini and John Hahn were among a group of six players tied for sixth, three off Santos' lead.
Santos was the 2012 rookie of the year on the European Tour and has a decent record in South Africa with top-30 finishes in his last five events.
He said: "I'm very pleased to make a run like I did today."