The multiple winner on both the Sunshine and DP World Tours said it had actually been a struggle on a typically testing day at the St Francis Links on Thursday.

Coetzee began his round with a bogey on the par-four 10th, but then went to the turn with four birdies. On the front nine, his only other drop came on the par-four fifth, with birdies on either side of it, and the 36-year-old completed his round with an excellent birdie on the par-four ninth.

Coetzee, who won the 2011 PGA Championship at Country Club Johannesburg after finishing runner-up the year before, is tied for the lead with Danie van Niekerk, the 34-year-old Lichtenburg golfer who produced a brilliant bogey-free round with three birdies on the front nine, after he also started on the 10th.

“It was definitely tricky out there and I’m happy with my score,” Coetzee said. “All in all, I’m happy just to be in the mix and to be in a good rhythm. I made a lot of putts on my last nine holes when it was really quite tricky, and that kept my scorecard together.

“But it was a hairy last bunch of holes into the wind,” Coetzee said.

The winner of a second consecutive Vodacom Origins of Golf Series De Zalze title when he last played in South Africa in August, Coetzee said that his two bogeys had come from a lack of familiarity with the seaside course.

“My two bogeys were basically down to a lack of knowledge of the course, taking the wrong club off the tee or playing to the wrong part of the green, like on my second on the 10th hole. Hopefully I learn quickly and make better decisions tomorrow,” Coetzee said.

The top-10 on the leaderboard at the end of the first round is filled with experienced or in-form golfers that will ensure Coetzee and Van Niekerk are kept on their toes.

Jake Roos and Hennie O’Kennedy are one shot behind on four-under with Casey Jarvis, JJ Senekal and Rhys West.

Hennie Otto, who was the runner-up in the PGA Championship in both 2002 and 2008, is with Stefan Wears-Taylor and Samuel Simpson on three-under.

The PGA Championship is South Africa’s second-oldest professional tournament and Otto would dearly love to add that title to his 2011 SA Open win at Serengeti Estate.

SCORES END OF ROUND 1

67 - Danie Van Niekerk, George Coetzee

68 - Jake Roos, Hennie O'Kennedy, Casey Jarvis, JJ Senekal, Rhys West

69 - Hennie Otto, Stefan Wears-Taylor, Samuel Simpson

70 - MJ Viljoen, Jean Hugo, Greg Bentley, Lindani Ndwandwe, Jared Harvey, Merrick Bremner, Jacques P de Villiers, Malcolm Mitchell

71 - Luke Trocado, Vaughn van Deventer, Chris Cannon, Kyle McClatchie, Wallie Coetsee, Martin Vorster, Ryan Tipping, Andre De Decker, Erhard Lambrechts, Jayden Schaper, Combrinck Smit

72 - Michael Kok, Bradley Bawden, Tristin Galant, Robin Williams, Peter Karmis, Jean-Paul Strydom, Therion Nel, Sean Bradley, Greig Hutcheon, Clinton Grobler, Franklin Manchest, Callum Mowat, Dylan Mostert, Doug McGuigan, Clancy Waugh, Jake Redman, Luca Filippi, Dean O'Riley

73 - Albert Venter, Ockie Strydom, Brooklin Bailey, Matias Calderon, Stephen Ferreira, Louis Albertse, Sean Cronje, Jacques Blaauw, CJ du Plessis, Martin Rohwer, Steve Surry, Harry Konig

74 - Maverick Faber, Duane Keun, Ruan Korb, Richard Joubert, Makhetha Mazibuko, Madalitso Muthiya, Clayton Mansfield, Thanda Mavundla, Luke Jerling, James Searson, Jacques Kruyswijk, Heinrich Bruiners, Herman Loubser, Pierre Pellegrin

75 - Wade Jacobs, Dayne Moore, Nikhil Rama, Irvin Mazibuko, Fredrik From, Blanche Lamprecht, James Pennington, Alex Haindl, Wynand Dingle, Karabo Mokoena, Kyle Barker, Gregg Upton, Shaahid Mahmed, Joe Long

76 - Aneurin Gounden, James Kamte, Toto Thimba Jnr, Siyanda Mwandla, Keagan Thomas, Ulrich van den Berg, Ryan Van Velzen

77 - Keelan van Wyk, Jovan Rebula, Musiwalo Nethunzwi, Gerard du Plooy, Adam Breen, Hayden Griffiths, Steven Le Roux

78 - Tumelo Molloyi, Estiaan Conradie

79 - Divan van den Heever, Jannie Botha, Riekus Nortje, Paul Boshoff, Adriel Poonan, Reinhardt Blaauw, Michael Palmer, Rupert Kaminski, Luan Boshoff

80 - Chris Swanepoel, Ivano Ficalbi, Kevin Rhoderick, Fezekile Kana, Ruan de Smidt, Henning du Plooy, Christiaan Basson

82 - Ricki Dembo, Ruan Conradie, Quintin Wilsnach, Morten Bredahl

83 - Andy Haasbroek, Lyle Rowe

85 - Brandon-Jude Rennie, Mandla Dlamini Jnr

86 - Dean Nysschen

87 - Tyrone Lorusso, Evance Vukeya, Mike Maile

88 - Gerrit Foster

90 - Gareth Sargent

92 - Keelan Africa

93 - Richard Kruger