FORMER Blackburn Rovers striker Roy Wegerle began his first major professional golf tournament in fine style with a birdie in the Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg yesterday.

The 37-year-old, who qualified to play in the tournament on Tuesday, looked understandably nervous as he teed off, but promptly hit his second shot to the opening hole to within a foot of the hole for an opening birdie. Wegerle could not maintain his brilliant start, though, and dropped shots at the fourth and ninth to be out in 37, and also bogeyed the 10th to drop back to two over par.

Wegerle also bogeyed the 14th, where he found the water and did well to salvage a five, and was unable to birdie either the 16th or 18th, both reachable par fives.

But a four-over-par round of 76 was no disgrace, although he will probably need at least a 68 in tomorrow's second round to achieve his aim of making the halfway cut.

Shaw Hill's Nick Dougherty lay joint 20th after the first round, two under par after a first round of 70.

He is four shots behind the leaders Paul McGinley and Stephen Dodd and will be hoping to push into the top 10 today.