SUN CITY, South Africa — Kristoffer Reitan made 10 birdies in a 9-under 63 to take a three-shot lead after the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour on Thursday.
The Norwegian golfer earned his first PGA Tour card at the end of last season but is beginning the 2026 season on the European tour.
Reitan missed the season-opening event in Australia last week but hit the ground running in Sun City, making birdies on seven of his first 11 holes and two more at Nos. 14 and 15. He dropped a shot at the par-4 17th after driving into a fairway bunker but holed a shot from the fringe at No. 18 for his 10th birdie.
“It was a brilliant day — very, very happy the way I played,” the 59th-ranked Reitan said.
Jesper Svensson, Marcus Armitage and Adrien Saddier were tied for second place after rounds of 66.
Viktor Hovland is the highest-ranked player in the field, at No. 13. He shot 69.