The unheralded Norwegian launched himself straight to the top of the leaderboard with a breathtaking nine-under-par 63, finishing just one shot shy of the long-standing course record set by Lee Westwood back in 2011.

Reitan burst out the blocks with back-to-back birdies, and then charged through the turn like a bull elephant on a mission, collecting five birdies in six holes. Even a lone blemish - a bogey on the 17th - couldn’t spoil a round that also featured three birdies over the closing stretch.

By sunset, he held a commanding three-shot lead over England’s Marcus Armitage, Frenchman Adrien Saddier and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson, who helped himself to two eagles on his inward nine.

“I had no idea what the course record was,” Reitan admitted afterwards.

“I was just trying to hit good shots. It was a brilliant day and I’m very happy with how I played. I’ve played a lot of golf in South Africa but never really had good results, so I’m hoping to change that this week.”

With cooler conditions adding another layer to the challenge, Reitan said the Gary Player layout demands razor-sharp focus.

“You need to stay on top of it all the time on this golf course because it can bite you quickly. It’s a tough track, but if you hit it well you’ll get chances - and I saw that today. But it’ll be a tough next three rounds to keep the quality and concentration up.”

His countryman Viktor Hovland - the highest-ranked player in the field - opened with a solid three-under-par 69.

For the local fans, the wait for a South African champion - last achieved by Branden Grace in 2017 - may yet end this week. Garrick Higgo and Shaun Norris finished as the best of the home contingent after matching rounds of 68 to sit at four under par.

“It was a good day,” said Higgo after a bogey-free round.

“I struck it nicely early on, then it wobbled a bit around the turn, but the putter kept me in it. I’ve been working hard on the ball-striking, and if you hit fairways and greens here, you can score. It all starts off the tee.”

Playing alongside him, Norris showed serious grit to shake off a double-bogey seven at the second hole and claw his way back into contention.

“I had a mishap on the second, but I fought back. Any day you shoot 68 around this course, you’ll be smiling,” he said after responding with three birdies in his next four holes.

With three rounds to go, Reitan has set a fierce early pace - but as every veteran of Africa’s Major knows, the Gary Player Country Club always saves a few surprises for the weekend.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport