Jacob Oakley improved on his best ever round on the Sunshine Tour for the second tournament in a row as the Englishman fired an excellent eight-under-par 63 on Wednesday to lead the SunBet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya after the first round at Umhlali Country Club.
Oakley shot a wonderful 65 on the first day of the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Sishen Golf Club on September 20, and even though he then posted rounds of 75 and 74, his finish of tied-18th was still his best ever on the Sunshine Tour.
That 65 gave him a one-shot lead after the first round, but on Wednesday his 63 saw him open up a two-stroke gap on the well-travelled duo of Trevor Fisher Jnr and Alex Haindl.
The 26-year-old Oakley was also the first to tee-off on the first hole at Umhlali on Wednesday and no-one was able to better his haul of eight birdies. He started slowly with three pars, before three birdies in four holes led him to three-under at the turn. Oakley collected back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, and then finished brilliantly with three successive birdies, making threes on the 16th and 17th holes and then a two on the 182m closing hole.
Having claimed the last of his five Sunshine Tour victories in August 2021 at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Sishen event, Haindl may have wondered when his next appearance at the top of a leaderboard would happen, finishing 93rd and 160th on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy since then. He has not made a cut in five events this season.
But the Schoeman Park golfer was inspired on Wednesday, collecting seven birdies by the 16th hole, but then dropping his only shot on the 18th.
Fisher Jnr began his round on the 10th and reached the turn on three-under. He then birdied the first hole but dropped a shot at the par-four second. But an eagle on the par-five fifth was followed by a birdie on his last hole, the par-four ninth, as he joined Haindl in the tie for second.
Astin Arthur, the winner of the Western Province, Indian Ocean and Southern Cape amateur opens this year and the runner-up in the South African Strokeplay Championship, was another surprise packet on Wednesday as he shot a five-under-par 66 to be in the tie for fourth place on four-under-par.
Luke Jerling, who made eight birdies but also three bogeys, and Malcolm Mitchell also shot 66s.
SCORES:
63 - Jacob Oakley
65 - Trevor Fisher Jnr, Alex Haindl
66 - Astin Arthur, Malcolm Mitchell, Luke Jerling
67 - Pierre Pellegrin, Daniel van Tonder
68 - Ricky Hendler, Rourke van der Spuy, Heinrich Bruiners, Keenan Davidse, Matthew Spacey, Tyrone Ryan
69 - Makhetha Mazibuko, Pieter Moolman, Jean Hugo, Robson Chinhoi, CJ du Plessis, Jaco Van Zyl, Danie Van Niekerk, Hennie Otto, Dylan Naidoo, Luke Brown, Stephen Ferreira, Irvin Mazibuko
70 - Samuel Simpson, Martin Rohwer, Callum Mowat, Altin van der Merwe, Jack Hawksby, Lyle Pedro
71 - Shaahid Mahmed, Toto Thimba Jnr, Ruan de Smidt, Kyle De Beer, Graham van der Merwe, Keagan Thomas, Sabelo Xolani Majola, James Pennington, Rhys West, Stefan Wears-Taylor, Jonathan Broomhead, Neil Schietekat, James Mack, Stals Swart, Jacquin Hess
72 - Werner Deyzel, Jake Redman, Jacques Blaauw, Hennie O'Kennedy, Jared Harvey, Franklin Manchest, Craig Ross, Drikus Joubert, Bwembya Chanda, Colin Nel, Herman Loubser, Combrinck Smit, Jean-Paul Strydom, Fredrik From, Allister de Kock, Musiwalo Nethunzwi, Lindani Ndwandwe
73 - Gerard du Plooy, David Amm, Christian Kriek, Ruan Korb, Martin Vorster, Jason Roets, Merrick Bremner, Jean-Pierre Van der Watt, Doug McGuigan, Adam Breen, Nick Cunningham, Tristin Galant
74 - Keelan van Wyk, Kirby Coe-Kirkham, Sentanio Minnie, Michael Hollick, Ethan Smith, Lyle Rowe, Dayne Moore, Gregory Mckay, Ruan Conradie, Keegan Mclachlan, Thabang Simon, Hayden Griffiths
75 - LB Boshoff, Christopher Long, Gary Kemp, Travis Ladner, Albert Venter, Therion Nel, Thanda Mavundla, Kyle McClatchie, Ronald Rugumayo, Leon Vorster, Quintin Wilsnach, Austin Bautista, Nicholas Adams, Jastice Mashego
76 - Christiaan Burke, Vaughn van Deventer, Trevor Mahoney, Promise Sombreiro, Blanche Lamprecht, Conner Mackenzie, Brandon Pieters, Wynand Dingle, MJ Viljoen
77 - Brandon Gildenhuys, Regan Steyn, Jordan Duminy, Stuart Krog, Gerhard Pepler, Estiaan Conradie, Pride Sembo
78 - Siyanda Mwandla, Haydn Porteous, Andrew Williamson, Slenda Sithebe, Luke Trocado
79 - Otto Van Buynder, Jabulane Mabilane, Mohammad Rauf Mandhu
80 - Simon du Plooy, Sean Bradley
81 - Richard Kruger, Thabiso Ngcobo, Umar Davids
82 - Ruan Groenewald, SP Mthethwa
83 - Steven Le Roux
84 - Terence Boardman
85 - Shaun Coetzee
86 - Ricco Motsa