Happy days as Dane aces it

The Tshwane Open declares itself to be about "more than just golf", and joint first-round leader Morten Orum Madsen believes it's also about being happy.

The kind of happiness you get when you end your round with a hole-in-one and an eagle to share the lead with a 63. "That's not something you're going to experience every day," Madsen said.

Madsen played his way from the Nordic League onto the European Tour and then became the second thing South Africans know about Denmark after Lego, with his performances here.

He and England's David Horsey share the lead on seven under par at Pretoria Country Club, one stroke clear of the field.

Wallie Coetsee, who lost out on a maiden European Tour title in the Joburg Open, is having his best summer since moving his family from Tzaneen to Jeffrey's Bay and joined Australian Brett Rumford as the nearest challengers, on 64s.

Thereafter, the field remains as tightly packed as the Jacarandas lining nearby Albert Street.

But Madsen is feeling quite comfortable at the head of it all.

"I enjoy being here - the weather, the people, the cities and the golf courses. It's about feeling happy and that's the secret."

His love of South Africa is hardly surprising - ever since he joined the European Tour in 2013 his best finishes have come in this country.

This includes being fourth in the 2012 Nelson Mandela Championship, eighth in the 2013 Tshwane Open and first in the 2013 SA Open.

Also, he was 13th in the 2014 Tshwane Open, 16th in the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship and third in last week's Africa Open.

Yesterday Madsen started well with a birdie on his first hole, the 10th, and arrived on the par-three eighth at three under.

That's when he holed out with a wedge from 123m. He closed off with an eagle on the par-five ninth after hitting a three iron to 10m.

The scoring was low on a course not long by modern standards and which is playing as a par 70 this week, with the fourth and 18th holes playing as par fours.

"The course is challenging and as soon as you are off the fairways it gets really tough. But there wasn't much wind in the morning and the greens were really soft, so that gave us the opportunity to fire at the flags," Madsen said.

Horsey certainly enjoyed a golf course where the big-hitters aren't dominating. "This is a positional golf course, which really suits my game," he said.

Trevor Fisher jnr is three strokes off the lead in his quest for back-to-back victories. Home favourite George Coetzee opened with a three-under 67.