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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A late charge gave Englands Matthew Nixon an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the South African Open, the start of the 2014 European Tour season. Jared Crick Jersey . Two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen and former Masters winner Charl Schwartzel also were in early contention at their home tournament. Nixon was one of the last players to finish Thursday, but ended with birdie, eagle, par to knock Italys Marco Crespi and South Africas Jbe Kruger off the top of the leaderboard at Glendower Golf Club. Goosen began with a 66 to tie for third, while Schwartzel shot 67. Schwartzels younger brother, Attie, a pro on South Africas Sunshine Tour, matched his more famous sibling to share sixth place at 5 under. Goosen is still recovering from back surgery in 2012 that wiped out most of his last two seasons and made steady progress on Thursday with seven birdies and just one dropped shot at the par-3 No. 6. "Six under any day is pretty good," the 2001 and 2004 U.S. Open champion said. "It was nice to finish off good, too. Im feeling good. Im going after the ball a little bit now, so getting some consistency going." The 44-year-old Goosen hasnt won a tournament since March 2009. Charl Schwartzel, fresh off a victory in China on the OneAsia Tour last month, had five birdies, while Attie Schwartzel had seven birdies and two bogeys. South African Christiaan Basson set the early pace, adding four birdies and an eagle to a string of pars in a 66. Crespi and Kruger picked up four straight birdies from No. 12 through 15 and moved a shot ahead. Nixon took the lead at the end after opening with four birdies in his first five holes and finishing strongly with an eagle on the par-5 No. 8, his 17th. Former British Open champion David Duval had a 74, and Europe Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley shot 75. The new season teed off in Johannesburg just four days after Henrik Stenson won the 2013 money list and season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai.Damaris Johnson Elite Womens Jersey . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. DeAndre Hopkins Elite Womens Jersey . Leverkusen came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 and secure fourth place immediately above Wolfsburg, which beat sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1. "We knew we had to win," Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok said.SAO PAULO, Brazil - Uncertainty about Brazils readiness for the World Cup opener will linger a little longer after FIFA and local organizers postponed the final test event at the troubled Sao Paulo stadium because of concerns from local authorities. The Brazilian league match scheduled for May 29, a Thursday, was moved to the following Sunday to keep the event from disrupting the citys "operational routine" on a workking day. Andre Johnson Jersey. FIFA says it also decided to re-schedule the match to a weekend to "ensure it attracts more than 50,000" fans needed to properly test the stadium. Fewer than 40,000 people attended the first test match at the Itaquerao stadium last weekend, when the 20,000 temporary seats being added for the opener couldnt be used. Nearly 70,000 people are expected for the Brazil-Croatia match. ' ' ' |
