Rhys West bought himself a new putter after the first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final and it paid off as he led by the end of Friday’s second round at the Pezula Championship Course.
West followed up his opening 69 with a 66 to lead the field on nine under par. He heads into the weekend with a one-stroke lead over Neil Schietekat and Stuart Krog. Schietekat signed for a 71 on Friday while Krog added a 68.
Rupert Kaminski kept himself in contention with a 71 to head into the final 36 holes on seven under par. And a record three Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals also made it through to the weekend in what has been a first in the history of this series where they have competed alongside the Sunshine Tour professionals in the same event for the same prize money.
With the wind gusts always a challenge at Pezula, West relied heavily on his short game on Friday – more specifically his putting.
“I bought another putter the day before. It’s the same putter as my old one. The shaft on my old putter was bent and we couldn’t fix it, so I just decided to buy a new one and the feel just started coming back,” said West, who started his round at the 10th and was already five under at the turn before he added three birdies and two bogeys on his second nine.
“I think the big thing is confidence. I’ve had a couple of good finishes and it’s just helped with confidence. I haven’t changed anything drastically in my game. It’s just short game and confidence,” he said.
It’s a recipe he’s hoping to keep sticking to over the weekend. “It’s all weather dependent really. I can’t really push too hard or overpower a golf course. It’s just about thinking my way around and keeping my course management together. I’ll just keep playing the course the way it’s being presented.”
Zethu Myeki is the leading Sunshine Ladies Tour professional heading into the weekend. Myeki signed for a 68 on Friday which lifted her to five under par overall. Tara Griebenow and Brittney-Fay Berger also made it through to the weekend. Griebenow signed for a second round of 75 for a 36-hole total of one under par, while Berger added a 74 that places her on one over par, with the cut falling on two over.
SCORES:
135 - Rhys West 69 66
136 - Stuart Krog 68 68, Neil Schietekat 65 71
137 - Rupert Kaminski 66 71
138 - Nikhil Rama 73 65, Jacques P de Villiers 68 70, Jaco Van Zyl 71 67, Estiaan Conradie 68 70
139 - Albert Venter 68 71, Oliver Bekker 66 73, Zethu Myeki 71 68, Hayden Griffiths 67 72
140 - Luca Filippi 70 70, Pierre Pellegrin 70 70, Jacques Blaauw 70 70, Hennie O'Kennedy 72 68, Sean Bradley 71 69, Keenan Davidse 69 71, Regan Steyn 72 68
141 - Joe Long 70 71, Fredrik From 69 72, Jake Roos 69 72, Jean Hugo 73 68, Otto Van Buynder 72 69, Christiaan Burke 71 70, Stefan Wears-Taylor 71 70, Christiaan Basson 70 71, Kyle De Beer 72 69, Rourke van der Spuy 69 72
142 - Jared Harvey 64 78
143 - Jake Redman 70 73, Hennie Otto 74 69, Robin Williams 73 70, Keegan Mclachlan 71 72, Callum Mowat 70 73, Conner Mackenzie 70 73, Lyle Rowe 71 72, Matthew Spacey 71 72, Tara Griebenow 68 75, Combrinck Smit 74 69, LB Boshoff 67 76
144 - Ruan de Smidt 75 69, Haydn Porteous 70 74, Ruan Korb 73 71, Robson Chinhoi 72 72, Madalitso Muthiya 74 70, Tyron Davidowitz 70 74, Toto Thimba Jnr 73 71, Keagan Thomas 68 76, Merrick Bremner 72 72, Willie Olivier 75 69
145 - Karabo Mokoena 73 72, Dylan Mostert 73 72, Leon Visser 71 74, Brittney-Fay Berger 71 74, Ruan Conradie 71 74, Dylan Naidoo 74 71, Danie Van Niekerk 74 71
146 - Jovan Rebula 76 70, Gerhard Trytsman 70 76, MJ Viljoen 74 72, DK Kim 73 73, Makhetha Mazibuko 72 74, Nicholaus Frade 73 73, Drikus Joubert 69 77, Ulrich van den Berg 73 73, James Pennington 71 75
MISSED THE CUT:
147 - Jonathan Broomhead 75 72, Vaughn van Deventer 72 75, Jason Roets 73 74, Doug McGuigan 71 76
148 - Malcolm Mitchell 74 74, Anthony Michael 73 75, Franklin Manchest 75 73, Jordan Duminy 68 80, Sean Cronje 71 77, Kyle McClatchie 74 74
149 - Richie O'Donovan 77 72, Simon du Plooy 77 72, Ricky Hendler 74 75, Yurav Premlall 77 72, Keelan van Wyk 76 73, Ethan Smith 74 75
150 - Gerhard Pepler 73 77, Travis Ladner 76 74
151 - Marcel Steyn Scholtz 78 73, Jabulane Mabilane 72 79, Astin Arthur 74 77
152 - Luke Trocado 80 72, Caylum Boon 77 75
153 - Cara Gorlei 70 83, Erhard Lambrechts 78 75, Nyasha Muyambo 75 78, Jonathan Waschefort 77 76
154 - Sentanio Minnie 81 73
155 - Shawnelle de Lange 80 75, Adam Breen 79 76, Aneurin Gounden 75 80
156 - Adriel Poonan 79 77, Mandla Dlamini Jnr 79 77, Gregory Mckay 78 78
158 - Reinhardt Blaauw 79 79
159 - Ryan Tipping 82 77
162 - Ryan Estment 82 80, Tristin Galant 78 84, Irvin Mazibuko 80 82
WDN - Jacquin Hess 73 WDN