Davidse and Hugo lead
But it’s a tough day for Zander Lombard as he sits at the bottom of the leaderboard
KEENAN Davidse started fast yesterday in the first round of the Tour Championship at Serengeti Estates to share the lead with Jean Hugo in the Sunshine Tour’s season-ending tournament.
His round began on the back nine, and he made five birdies on his way to the turn in 31. Just a single bogey came on the first – his 10th – and he picked that shot back up again with a closing birdie on the par-three ninth.
“I hit it in a fairway bunker on the right on the first,” he said, “and I just chipped it out and took my medicine. I know it’s a cliché, but it was just about staying patient. I’m quite chuffed.”
His game has been there or thereabouts for a while. “I played well in the last tournament too,” he said. “That was without a driver. This week, I have a driver and I’m smashing it a long way – I’m shocking myself!
“The putter is also working well for me. That’s the main thing for scoring. I hit a few close today, but the putter is rolling nicely. Derick Petersen told me I was striking the ball off the toe with my putts, so I worked on striking it in the centre. But one thing that stood out today was my putting.”
Hugo didn’t drop a single shot in his 67, and attributed his scoring to leaving his three-iron out of his bag in favour of a gap-wedge. “That just gave me good distances to the greens, which was really helpful,” he said. He made five birdies on his homeward nine, not picking a single shot in his first nine after starting on 10.
In a share of third, one shot further back, were JC Ritchie, who won the Limpopo Championship 10 days ago, JJ Senekal who won the Zanaco Masters in Zambia last April, and Swede Philip Eriksson, who won the Dimension Data Pro-Am last month.
Sunshine Tour Order of Merit leader Zander Lombard had a forgettable start to the tournament that is essentially his ‘lap of honour’ before picking up the Sid Brews Trophy for his feat. He carded a nine-over-par 81 to bring up the rear of the 40-man field, with a round that a quadruple-bogey nine on the par-five eighth, two double-bogeys and five bogeys.
Meanwhile, Nobuhle Dlamini from Swaziland and French golfer Anne-Lise Caudal share a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Jabra Ladies Classic at Glendower Golf Club.
The joint leaders took two vastly different routes to share the top spot on five under in yesterday’s second round.
Overnight leader Dlamini had another brilliant ball-striking day and only missed one green, but she continued to battle on the putting surfaces and returned a one birdie, one bogey 71 while her playing partner rode a hot putter to a four-under 68.
Tvesa Malik from India carded 71 to tie for third on one-under alongside 14-year-old Benoni junior Kiera Floyd, who returned a three-under 69 that featured two eagles and five birdies.
A three at the par four 18th for a round of 70 netted fellow GolfRSA Elite Squad player Symone Henriques sole fifth on level par.
Kim Williams and fellow former Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Tandi Mc Callum finished a further stroke adrift. Williams posted 73, while Parkview’s McCallum fired a tournament low sixunder-par 66 to break into the top six.
Caudal was three shots behind Dlamini at the start of the second round.
The two-time Ladies European Tour winner shot 32 over the front nine to take a one shot lead and she edged two shots clear with two holes left to play after birdies at the par four 10th and the par five 15th. She gave Dlamini a chance to regain the lead with a double bogey at 17.
“My tee shot caught a bounce and finished in a bunker, and I thinned the trap shot,” said the Saint Jean de Luz native. “I flew the green and hit a poor tee shot, leaving myself a long downhill putt that I missed.
“Yes, it was frustrating to lose the two shot lead, but I’m still in it. I played the front nine really well to turn four under, and I missed two short birdie chances.
“The back nine was solid, too, except for the mishap on 17. So it could have been a little bit better, but I’m still in contention and this is what I wanted.”
Dlamini failed to box a 15-footer for birdie at the penultimate hole to regain the lead and the pair closed off with pars at 18. | before and I really did well. But I then thought I could do it myself and in 2017 and 2018 I had no coach. I finished third and fifth at Comrades those years. Now it is very good to have someone who shows me different aspects of my running.”
As the countdown to the Ultimate Race begins in earnest, Bosman will continue with her training under Parry’s watchful eye – careful to do things right and avoid injuries.
She will be going to the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon next month.
Just like Om Die Dam, she will not be racing. Yet such is her talent and current form that it would not be surprising to see her cross the finish line first as she usually does.