SUN CITY, South Africa (Reuters) - Three birdies in his final four holes sparked Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson into life on Thursday as he carded an opening round 69 to trail by one shot at the European Tour’s Nedbank Challenge.
Swede Stenson battled windy conditions earlier in his round but birdied 15 through 17 to leave himself one shot behind Chile's Felipe Aguilar, Englishman Ross Fisher and Jeunghun Wang from South Korea, who share the overnight lead at four under-par.
Victory at the $7 million Nedbank Challenge, the penultimate event of the European Tour season, coupled with money-list rival Danny Willett finishing outside the top 10, would seal Stenson's place as the number one golfer in Europe in 2016.