Just five days after he claimed his maiden provincial title in the Eastern Province Championship, Gauteng North’s Albert Venter is in hot pursuit of first round pacesetters in the Central Gauteng Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.

The 19-year-old Centurion player fired an opening four-under-par 68 at the East Course to finish just a shot shy of Central Gauteng’s Marco Steyn and Johannes Frahs from Southern Cape.

Frahs from Plettenburg Bay eagled the par-five eighth and reeled in seven birdies for a 67 to set the early clubhouse target at the home of the Sunshine Tour’s Joburg Open, but Steyn from TuksSport Golf Academy matched his effort with a flawless performance in the afternoon.

While Frahs has yet to win on the provincial circuit, Steyn made his breakthrough in the Northern Amateur Stroke Play Championship last year.

The Modderfontein golfer captured the inaugural Dimension Data Junior Open earlier this year and protected a fourth place ranking in the South African Golf Association’s Junior standings with a pair of top fives and two top 10 finishes this season.

The joint leaders are two strokes ahead of Luke Trocado from Western Province and lead by three from seven players in the bus at two under.

The group includes Central Gauteng quartet Jason Viljoen, David McIntyre, Byron Sampson and Michael Piernaar, Gauteng North’s Philip Kruse and Estiaan Conradie and Neil du Preez from Border.

To view the live scoring from the Central Gauteng Open, click HERE

Photo – Albert Venter; credit Catherine Kotze / SASPA