Zander leads the pack
HALF WAY: LOMBARD 11-UNDER-PAR AS COURSE STARTS TO GET TOUGHER
Ken Borland
The Gary Player Country Club was back at its toughest yesterday, ruthlessly sifting the golfers in the second round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which is why Zander Lombard’s 65 was such an incredible round, leading Louis Oosthuizen to say it was better than the 63 he shot the previous day.
While 28 golfers were under-par in the first round, 16 of them shooting in the 60s, yesterday only 23 managed to break par and just seven scores in the 60s were recorded, thanks to a more blustery, shifting wind combining with firmer, faster greens. At the end of the day, the leaderboard had been shuffled with Lombard on top on 11-under-par and Oosthuizen staying on nineunder-par.
Lombard, who teed off at 10.39am, not only had to deal with the toughest conditions in the heat of the day, but the Nedbank Golf Challenge debutant, who earned his place by winning last season’s Sunshine Tour order of merit, had to contend with playing alongside two of the most successful performers at Sun City ever – Ernie Els and Lee Westwood.
“It’s definitely up there with my best days on a golf course. There were obviously nerves on the first few holes, playing with legends like Ernie and Lee, but I settled down quite quickly with a birdie on the second after starting with a bogey. From then on it was all positive and I really enjoyed the round. My caddy Steve Tobby did a wonderful job keeping me in the moment.
“We just tried to make birdies on every hole, I tried to be aggressive and positive and not worry about any leaderboards. I placed the ball well which is what was needed with the course definitely drying out and there being a bit of carry and run. I was able to place myself on the right side of the holes and made a few putts. The wind was really blustery yesterday but today I felt I could trust my distances better,” Lombard, unlike just about everyone else, said.
While the crowds at Sun City can’t yet be described as massive, the Els-Westwood-Lombard three-ball attracted a relative mass of spectators.
“It was a fantastic crowd and they were cheering Ernie or Lee at the start but I managed to win them over by the end and it was awesome. This tournament is a huge opportunity for me and I must just stick to my processes. Next week’s Dubai World Tour Championship is obviously the pinnacle of the year but I’m not playing to get into that, I’m playing to win this tournament,” said Lombard.
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