England-based James Mack shot a six-under-par 66 on Wednesday to lead the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge after the first round at Kyalami Country Club, but there is a group of strong South African Sunshine Tour talent chasing him down just one stroke behind.
Simon du Plooy, Jacques P de Villiers, Ruan de Smidt, Christiaan Burke, Martin Rohwer and Jonathan Broomhead all posted five-under-par 67s on Wednesday to ensure Mack has plenty of challengers in his rearview mirror.
🎥 The final birdie of the round on the 18th hole for clubhouse leader, James Mack. 📈#GaryAndViviennePlayerChallenge #GreatnesBeginsHere #SunshineTour pic.twitter.com/gSirkBcNtR
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) August 28, 2024
De Villiers, whose only bogey came on the par-five 13th when he three-putted, said the key to doing well at Kyalami Country Club on Wednesday was shaping the ball on the 6631-metre course with tight fairways.
“The fairways are very hard and they’re tight, so it’s tough to hit them with the ball bouncing so much. You’ve got to be able to shape the ball off the tee and I did that well today,” De Villiers said.
“I also putted really well and even though I made four birdies and an eagle, I still had a few horseshoes, including one that came right back at me. But it was a really solid round, I played well today in conditions that were very nice. It wasn’t too cold this morning and the wind didn’t blow too much either.”
The highlight of De Villiers’s season thus far has been finishing third in the FBC Zambia Open, which was then followed by a long break.
His finishes since the Sunshine Tour returned to action have been 20th, 43rd, 35th and 37th, but the Schoeman Park golfer still feels his game is well-toned as he looks towards the co-sanctioned events in the summer.
“I’ve been working hard on my swing with Doug Wood and the changes are there or thereabouts. But the game has been trending in the right direction for sure over the last couple of weeks. It’s all preparation now for the big events on the summer swing,” the 34-year-old said.
Mack started his round on the par-four 10th hole and immediately picked up a birdie.
Two more birdies in a faultless back nine saw him go out in three-under, and he collected four more birdies on the front nine, although a bogey on the par-three fourth hole was a hiccup.
👫 Tribute to Gary and Vivienne Player.
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) August 28, 2024
🏡 Lives very close to the golf course.
📝 Round 2 strategy written.
We caught up with the clubhouse leader, James Mack. #GaryAndViviennePlayerChallenge #GreatnesBeginsHere #SunshineTour pic.twitter.com/U4pG6kTrWy