AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open: At the end of the first round of the Mauritius Open, Sami Valimaki posted a course record of 62 to take a two-stroke lead.
At Mont Choisy Le Golf, Valimaki established a commanding lead over playing partner Oliver Bekker with 10 birdies, including four straight from the 14th, and no bogeys. He finished on eight under par.
Valimaki finished with a tap-in birdie to secure a 10-under par total and the course record after almost ending on an eagle.
Pierre Pineau of France is in third place at seven under par, one shot behind AJ Ritchie of South Africa, who is in fourth place.
Four birdies in a row for the second time today 😲#AfrAsiaBankMauritiusOpen | @sami_valimaki https://t.co/SpvhNm4Zhs pic.twitter.com/Xoc1AWjKXQ
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 15, 2022
It was a really fantastic round, according to Valimaki. “I putted naturally quite well and made some longer putts, which I haven’t made in a couple of weeks, so it’s fantastic to get things going.
“Oli also had a great round, so we had a fantastic time. I believe that finding the right pace and rhythm on the greens was the key to the day.
“Just keep working hard, make solid shots, and offer those chances. Just keep making those shots because I’m still hitting the ball pretty good.”
Bekker shot a 64 while remaining bogey-free for the round and keeping pace with the leader Valimaki thanks to four birdies in his final five holes.
Pineau scored four straight birdies from the 12th to help him get to seven under after finishing in the top 10 in the ISPS Handa Australian Open only a few weeks prior.
That round was good, Pineau said. With the wind and a little rain on a few holes, that was very difficult.
“I’m pleased with the way I struck my tee shots, placed my chips, and made some putts that went in the hole.
You know you’re going to miss some greens because of the wind, so you have to miss on the positive side and just make birdies on some simple holes. There are five par five holes, which is a lot of opportunities.
I just want to play golf and not worry about the leaderboard.
Ritchie was on course for a 65 but had to settle for six under after making a bogey on the fourth. Niklas Lemke finished in fifth place with five under after a spectacular birdie-eagle finish on the last.
Christopher Bring of Denmark and Ko Jeong Weon of France tied for fifth place with Lemke after shooting rounds of three under par 69, as did Ockie Strydom, who won the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week.
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