ZIMBABWE professional golfer Brendon de Jonge marked his return to good form on the PGA Tour with a great start in this year’s Greenbrier Classic at The Old White TPC Golf Course in West Virginia on Thursday.
REPORT BY SPORTS REPORTER
De Jonge, who finished third in 2010 and tied for fourth, last year at the same tournament, put aside his dip in form with an impressive first round display, which saw him shoot a four-under par 66.
Consistency was the key for De Jonge as he hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens which he complimented with his good putting, to card four birdies and finish in a share for ninth after the opening 18 holes of the $6 300 tourney.
De Jonge, who did his tertiary education at Virginia Tech University on a golf scholarship, found his the golf course and the support from the locals to his liking but said there was still a long way to go.
“It’s still a long way to go, obviously,” the former Virginia Tech standout said. “But it’s a golf course I like. It’s always nice to hear ‘Go Hokies’ wherever you go,” De Jonge said.
“I like playing in front of the Tech people. “It’s one of those tournaments you put on the schedule from the start as one you’re definitely going to play in and you look forward to.”
De Jonge (32) has won a boatload of money — a shade under $7,5 million — in his five-plus seasons on the PGA Tour, but has yet to hoist a winner’s trophy. “I keep knocking on that door, I just haven’t been able to knock it down yet,” the reigning Zimbabwean Sportsman of the Year said.
