PAARL, South Africa -- Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti shot an 8-under 64 Thursday in the first round of the South African Open. The tournament is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Southern Africa Tour.

Zanotti is one stroke ahead of Sweden's Oskar Henningson, the winner of the recent European Tour Qualifying School. Zanotti, who regained his European playing privileges with a 16th place at Q-School, had nine birdies and one bogey at the 10th hole.

"I drove into the bunker and had a terrible lie, so I just had to try and move it out of there, then chipped up to the green but didn't make my par. But that was the only bad hole," he said.

Rory Sabbatini joined a group of eight golfers who shot 66. His wife Amy was the caddie, and he attributed his change in fortunes -- after a poor Nedbank Challenge and Alfred Dunhill Championship -- to her.

"I was a little more patient, because I know she'll give me a harder time than my caddie, so I think just maybe that's the key," he said. "Just kind of taking a step back and kind of letting the putts go in instead of trying to force them in."

Tied with Sabbatini were South Africans Keith Horne and Jaco van Zyl, England's Ross McGowan and Lee Westwood, Scotland's Richie Ramsay, Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin and Sweden's Ake Nilsson.

Four-time South African Open champion Ernie Els shrugged off a double bogey on the second hole to shoot 67.

Zanotti's highest finish in only his second season on the European Tour was a tie for 12th place at the Methorios Capital Italian Open in May, but he showed little sign of his inexperience on Thursday with four birdies on the front nine taking him around in 32 strokes.

He began the back nine with a bogey, but showed increasing maturity by fighting back with five birdies in his next eight holes to end a shot clear of the field.

World No. 10 Westwood, who played alongside Masters champion Trevor Immelman and last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Richard Sterne in an afternoon pairing, was faultless through his first 18 holes and admitted afterward that he could not have asked for a better start.

"I played pretty solidly and all good pretty much," he said. "I drove the ball lovely and missed just one fairway at the second by about four feet.

"I was aggressive with the golf course and hit a lot of drivers and irons. I like the golf course and I've always liked playing Jack (Nicklaus) courses," he added. "You can play them conservatively, but you obviously don't have the opportunities to attack the flag.

"So if you have a good, straight driver then you can get an advantage. I did that today and putted quite nicely and made the ones that mattered."

Els, a four-time winner of this event, was joined at 67 by two-time winner Tim Clark, with Englishman Justin Rose and South African Immelman a further two shots back.

Swede Henrik Stenson, the highest-ranked player in the 156-man field, ended his day on 2 under along with home favorite Retief Goosen and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy. McIlroy's countryman Darren Clarke was one of few big names to suffer in the opening round. Five bogeys and three birdies saw him finish on 2 over.

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