Brown and De Beer set the pace with stunning 63 at Telkom PGA

Luke Brown. (Photo by Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour)

Prescience Media:  Luke Brown may be searching for the secret behind his remarkable Sunshine Tour form, but there is no mystery about his latest performance. The two time winner opened with a nine under par 63 at Country Club Johannesburg to share the first round lead in the Telkom PGA Championship with Kyle de Beer.

“People have asked what I’ve done differently to suddenly be at the top of the leaderboard and playing well. If I knew, I would have done it four years ago,” Brown said after opening with a nine under par 63 at Country Club Johannesburg to share the first round lead in the Telkom PGA Championship.

Kyle de Beer, fresh from his victory at the Rwanda Open, matched Brown’s effort later in the afternoon with a 63 of his own.

Brown has become a familiar name near the top of the leaderboard this season, having already claimed two victories. Yet he insists there has been no significant change to his approach.

“It’s not one specific thing, maybe just a little bit of everything adding up. I’ve always found that if you’re putting better, you make more of your par and birdie putts, so it doubles up everything,” he said.

Playing on his home course, Brown made the most of his local knowledge, carding two eagles during an impressive opening round. He now has an opportunity to add one of South Africa’s most prestigious titles to his growing list of achievements.

“The Telkom PGA Championship is the second oldest tournament in South Africa. It’s iconic. Just to get to play in it is really nice, and to be playing well is even better,” he said.

“The driver worked well for me today. It’s not a long course, so if you hit it straight you can give yourself a lot of chances from there. So, with driving it well I gave myself a lot of wedge shots, which I hit quite well.”

Brown and De Beer hold a one stroke advantage over a chasing trio comprising defending champion Deon Germishuys, Kieron van Wyk and Tyran Snyders, who opened with rounds of 64.

Samuel Simpson, currently leading the Sunshine Tour Courier Guy Order of Merit, also made an impressive start with a seven under par 65. He shares fourth place with Louis Albertse, former Telkom PGA Championship winner George Coetzee and Frenchman Pierre Viallaneix.

“What a venue. To see it in full tournament condition is really cool,” Simpson said.

“I enjoyed my group, playing with Dean (Burmester) for the first time, and Louis (Albertse). They definitely pulled the group forward and we ended up all playing pretty solid, and I drew off that. It’s a pretty special event and I am happy to be in the mix. Hopefully I can have another low round tomorrow.”

Telkom PGA Championship | Country Club Johannesburg
5th - 8th November 2026

Scores at End of Round 1
63 - Luke Brown
63 - Kyle De Beer
64 - Kieron van Wyk
64 - Deon Germishuys, Tyran Snyders
65 - Samuel Simpson
65 - Louis Albertse, George Coetzee, Pierre Viallaneix
66 - Ethan Smith
66 - Ricky Hendler, Tristen Strydom, Daniel van Tonder, Joe Sullivan, Keenan Davidse
67 - Benjamin Van Wyk