Angel Hidalgo leads in South Africa as DP World Tour makes debut

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The inaugural season of the DP World Tour started on Thursday with Angel Hidalgo of Spain shooting 6-under 65 to lead the first round of the Joburg Open before play was suspended because of bad weather.

South African Thriston Lawrence was also 6 under and had one hole left to play when players came off the course due to the threat of lightning.

It marked the start of a new era following the rebranding of the European Tour to a title which better reflected the global nature of the tour. The Joburg Open is one of 24 events not staged on European soil.

Full-field scores from the Joburg Open

The 2021 season ended just last week when Collin Morikawa won the Race to Dubai title.

The first round will be completed early Friday, with more than a quarter of the 156-man field yet to finish.

Five players were in the clubhouse a stroke behind after shooting rounds of 66, including South Africans Dylan Frittelli and Hennie Du Plessis.