Retief Goosen will have an axe to grind with whatever establishment he is boarding at this week having picked up a bout of food poisoning, but the two-time US Open champion didn’t allow it to stop him from firing a top-class round of 66 on the opening day of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Thursday.

Lately it’s been a dodgy back that has troubled Goosen, but that was fine on Thursday. His stomach – not so good.

“My back was okay, but I had a bit of stomach trouble. I went to the toilet six times before the round and another three times on the course. Maybe I should have had some Goose wine to settle it,” Goosen, whose other profession is wine-making, said.

Goosen’s round was set up by a fantastic front nine on the West Course in which he picked up five birdies.

“I had a good start with three straight birdies, the first nine was great but the back nine was a bit scrappy. I drove the ball okay on the back nine, but I didn’t really hit any good shots into the green. Seventeen was maybe another birdie chance,” Goosen mused.

Although he began the tournament on the easier of the two courses, Goosen said the West Course could still be tricky and he said the wind made it difficult to get his compass bearings right for some shots.

“The West Course is a bit shorter, but it still plays long and it’s still tricky. There are some very long par-fours and there’s a lot of moisture in the air, so the ball’s not flying that extra 10% you’d expect at altitude. I hit a few shots 10 or 15 yards short.

“There are some really good holes, 18 is tough, if you push the ball a little right off the tee, you can block yourself out. The wind was also never into you or straight down, it was coming through the trees, across the course the whole time, which makes it difficult to get the right ball-flight,” Goosen said.

The 42-year-old made pars on all but two of the holes on the back nine – bogeying the par-three 13th but then birdieing the par-five 15th hole.

“I played solid, maybe I could have had more birdies on the front nine, but you can push too hard on the West Course,” Goosen said.

South Africa’s Retief Goosen believes the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club will be a tricky test for the 210 golfers teeing it up in the Joburg Open starting on Thursday.

“The course is really long and very narrow and there’s a tough wind that blows across the whole course, which makes it tricky. The course is in great shape, but it will rain, it’s just a question of when.

“Down by the river, it’s very wet and you can hardly find a dry spot on the fairways, so more rain could be a problem,” Goosen warned on Wednesday.

The Goose said his initial aim in 2012 was to just recapture his best form after a back problem plagued him in 2011.

“My back is okay right now but I don’t know if I can win, I hope so! My last two tournaments went pretty well, just my putting let me down in the last rounds.

“Since the South Africa Open in November I’ve been playing nicely. Basically since my back got better, I’ve been able to practise better, to improve my game and make an impact. It’s from practising that you develop confidence and you have to have confidence to have feel.

“I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself, but it will be nice to have a chance to win,” Goosen said.

The two-time US Open champion said he has been receiving expert advice on his back problem.

“From the British Open it was a nightmare. I pulled out of a lot of tournaments and I couldn’t practice. I took a few months out because of my back, a couple of doctors suggested surgery, but I’m going to leave that as long as I can. I’m doing more physio and yoga to see if I can get the disk under control,” Goosen said.