Fresh from his maiden Sunshine Tour victory a week ago, Mexico’s Luis Carrera is leading from the front once again after Thursday’s opening round of the Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am at Irene Country Club.
Carrera set the pace with a nine-under-par 63 in which he never dropped a single shot in the Sunshine Tour’s second tournament of the 2025-26 season.
He leads by one shot over the experienced Trevor Fisher Jnr, while the quarter of Ryan van Velzen, JC Ritchie, Kyle de Beer and Gerhard Pepler are just two shots off the lead.
Carrera’s faultless round started in perfect fashion with a birdie on the opening hole, followed by an eagle on the 2nd. After turning in 32, the Mexican ended his opening round strong with birdies on the last two holes to take the overall lead.
It was another positive start by the latest star on the Sunshine Tour who is looking for back-to-back victories after winning last week’s FBC Zim Open. And this victory came in his first tournament as a Sunshine Tour member following his victory in the Qualifying School.
Behind him, nine-time Sunshine Tour champion Fisher Jnr signalled his intent with a stellar back nine of 30 and held the clubhouse lead for most of the day before Carrera overtook him.
Former PGA Tour champion Dylan Frittelli opened with a round of three-under-par 69.
The strong field this week is reflected in the scoring, with over half the field scoring under par on day one.
Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour
