EAST LONDON, South Africa, Feb 15, 2013 (AFP) - Da Silva was among a large group of golfers unable to complete their first round at East London Golf Club on Thursday because of a three-hour delay due to winds that reached 30 kilometres an hour.
Overnight clubhouse leader Jaco van Zyl of South Africa retained second place on 66 and John Parry of England held third spot after carding a 68 over the par-72, 6,066-metre course that overlooks the Indian Ocean.
Those on 69 include South Africans Oliver Bekker, Wallie Coetzee, Andrew Curlewis, Derik Ferreira, Darren Fichardt and James Kingston, Ignacio Garrido of Spain, Tommy Fleetwood of England, Michael Jonzon of Sweden, Mark Tullo of Chile and Phillip Price of Wales.
South Africa-based Da Silva birdied five of his first six holes Thursday and was six under after eight holes when bad light stopped play just before 1900 local time.
He birdied the ninth when play resumed early Friday, picked up an eagle on the 15th and back-to-back birdies completed a memorable round over a short course, whose chief defences are thick bush bordering fairways, and the wind.
South African Major winners Louis Oosthuizen (twice) and Charl Schwartzel won previous editions of the Africa Open since it was co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Sunshine Tour.
But neither entered the championship this year as they are preparing for the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship in Dove Mountain, Arizona, next week.
Fellow South Africans Richard Sterne, winner of the Joburg Open last weekend, George Coetzee and Branden Grace are absent for the same reason, raising the prospect of a first foreign winner of the Africa Open.
Leading scores after the completion of the wind-interrupted Africa Open first round at the par-72, 6066-metre East London Golf Club Friday (RSA unless otherwise stated):
62 - Adilson Da Silva (BRA)
66 - Jaco van Zyl
68 - John Parry (ENG)
69 - Oliver Bekker, Ignacio Garrido (ESP), Michael Jonzon (SWE), James Kingston, Darren Fichardt, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Mark Tullo (CHI), Wallie Coetsee, Derik Ferreira, Andrew Curlewis, Phillip Price (WAL)
70 - Bjorn Akesson (SWE), Tjaart van der Walt, Gregory Bourdy (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Daniel Greene, Simon Wakefield (ENG), David Higgins (IRL), Mikko Korhonen (FIN), Emiliano Grillo (ARG)
71 - Andrew Georgiou, Tyrone Mordt, Ulrich van den Berg, Seve Benson (ENG), Scott Arnold (AUS), Morten Orum Madsen (DEN), Brett Rumford (AUS), Ricardo Santos (POR), Alessandro Tadini (ITA), Vaughn Groenewald, Jaco Ahlers, Ryan Strauss, Maximilian Kieffer (GER), Anthony Michael
72 - Garth Mulroy, Alexandre Kaleka (FRA), Christiaan Basson, Matteo Delpodio (ITA), Louis de Jager, Lasse Jensen (DEN), Andreas Harto (DEN), Anthony Snobeck (FRA), Espen Kofstad (NOR), Justin Walters, Jake Roos, Merrick Bremner, Trevor Fisher Jnr, Robert-Jan Derksen (NED), Hendrik Buhrmann, Niclas Fasth (SWE), Joel Sjoholm (SWE), James Morrison (ENG), Ockie Strydom
73 - Chris Paisley (ENG), Alexander Levy (FRA), Lorenzo Gagli (ITA), Warren Abery, Charl Coetzee, Gregory Havret (FRA), Bryce Easton, Mikael Lundberg (SWE), Bradford Vaughan, Jorge Campillo (ESP), Peter Erofejeff (FIN), Ross McGowan (ENG), Jacques Blaauw, Danie van Tonder, Mark Williams, Jbe Kruger, Colin Nel, Magnus Carlsson (SWE)