On a day when the clouds came billowing over the Helderberg mountain range and gusts ripped across the fairways of the Erinvale Country and Golf Estate, Belgium’s Manon De Roey held her nerve and produced a magnificent five-under-par 67 to lead the Investec South African Women’s Open heading into the weekend.
De Roey came through a challenging day at the top of the leaderboard on eight under par overall, one stroke clear of England’s Rosie Davies who signed for a 71. Stacy Bregman is the leading South African on one under par in the Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned tournament.
De Roey certainly showed no signs of being intimidated by the windy conditions as she birdied three of her first four holes.
“In that start I was trying to putt without the gusts. You could hear them coming so I tried to time it between the gusts. Some of those birdies were long putts and unexpected but I’ll take them,” said De Roey, who has had a strong season thus far with four top-10s in her last eight tournaments. She came into this week with a fifth-place finish in the Joburg Ladies Open.
But it was a tournament in Saudi Arabia earlier this year which she says may have given her the edge at Erinvale on Friday.
“It was really tough out there, but I had something similar at the beginning of the year in a tournament in Saudi Arabia, which was also very windy. So maybe that helped me for this week. I just tried to stay patient and pick my lines off the tee well, and have the wind as my friend.
“When it’s windy like this I feel like I’m always more focused. You just have to stay patient because I know it’s possible to shoot low scores in wind like this. Maybe I need the wind on the weekend.”
Just one shot behind her, England’s Davies was equally delighted to have come through a tough day with a shot at one of the most historic titles in South African women’s golf.
“Starting my round on the back nine with the wind at its peak was tough. I just kept my head down and focusing on the next shot. I dropped shots on the back nine but I’d told myself I was probably going to face some adversity today and how I respond to that is what I need to focus on,” she said.
And Davies certainly responded well after those dropped shots as she closed out her round with three straight birdies.
“It was an exhausting day and that finish has given me a bit of energy. I’m excited for the weekend now. We’ll probably get more wind so anything can happen out there. I’ll just keep my head down and see where we end up on Sunday.”
SCORES:
136 - Manon De Roey (BEL) 69 67
137 - Rosie Davies (ENG) 66 71
139 - Lisa Pettersson (SWE) 68 71, Annabell Fuller (ENG) 68 71, Momoka Kobori (NZL) 69 70
140 - Hannah Burke (ENG) 68 72, Ines Laklalech (MAR) 70 70, Julie Boysen Hillestad (NOR) 67 73, Eleanor Givens (ENG) 69 71
141 - Kim Metraux (SUI) 70 71, Gabriella Cowley (ENG) 69 72, Liz Young (ENG) 68 73, Madelene Stavnar (NOR) 70 71, Elena Moosmann (SUI) 66 75
142 - Lily May Humphreys (ENG) 73 69, Gemma Clews (ENG) 74 68, Patricia Isabel Schmidt (GER) 71 71, Carolin Kauffmann (GER) 71 71
143 - Jana Melichova (CZE) 69 74, Sara Kjellker (SWE) 70 73, April Angurasaranee (THA) 72 71, Diksha Dagar (IND) 73 70, Katja Pogacar (SVN) 71 72, Stacy Bregman 72 71, Christine Wolf (AUT) 69 74
144 - Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 71 73, Nastasia Nadaud (FRA) 68 76, Bronte Law (ENG) 68 76, Hannah Screen (ENG) 71 73, Virginia Elena Carta (ITA) 70 74, Romy Meekers (NED) 70 74, Emily Penttila (FIN) 72 72, Aunchisa Utama (THA) 70 74, Danielle du Toit 74 70
145 - Mireia Prat (ESP) 70 75, Fernanda Lira (MEX) 75 70, Dorthea Forbrigd (NOR) 72 73, Sofie Kibsgaard (DEN) 73 72, Chiara Tamburlini (SUI) 70 75, Nicole Garcia 76 69
146 - Celine Herbin (FRA) 70 76, Sanna Nuutinen (FIN) 71 75, Tiffany Arafi (SUI) 73 73, Laura Fuenfstueck (GER) 76 70, Sofie Bringner (SWE) 74 72, Kristyna Napoleaova (CZE) 71 75, Sarah Schober (AUT) 70 76, Lora Assad 73 73
147 - Olivia Mehaffey (NIR) 79 68, Lee-Anne Pace 68 79, Shannon Tan (SIN) 69 78, Anne-Charlotte Mora (FRA) 76 71, Moa Folke (SWE) 75 72, Lydia Hall (WAL) 71 76, Tara Griebenow 75 72
148 - Tereza Melecka (CZE) 77 71, Genevieve Ling (MAS) 73 75, Alice Hewson (ENG) 74 74, Casandra Alexander 73 75, Emma Grechi (FRA) 74 74, Amy Taylor (ENG) 73 75, Alexandra Swayne (ISV) 69 79, Georgina Blackman (ENG) 76 72, Kylie Henry (SCO) 71 77, Emma Spitz (AUT) 73 75
Missed the cut:
149 - Laura Beveridge (SCO) 71 78, Elin Arvidsson (SWE) 70 79, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 72 77, Emie Peronnin (FRA) 76 73, Luna Sobron Galmes (ESP) 72 77, Nadia van der Westhuizen 76 73
150 - Maha Haddioui (MAR) 71 79, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 75 75, Linnea Johansson (SWE) 76 74, Tandi McCallum 75 75, Tiia Koivisto (FIN) 77 73, Verena Gimmy (GER) 72 78, Agathe Sauzon (FRA) 69 81, Pasqualle Coffa (NED) 76 74, Vani Kapoor (IND) 75 75
151 - Ridhima Dilawari (IND) 74 77, Sara Kouskova (CZE) 74 77, Sophie Witt (GER) 75 76, Camille Chevalier (FRA) 75 76, Isabella van Rooyen 76 75, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 77 74, Lejan Lewthwaite 75 76, Elena Hualde (ESP) 73 78, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 78 73, Paz Marfa Sans (ESP) 78 73, Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP) 74 77
152 - Zethu Myeki 79 73, Tvesa Malik (IND) 76 76, Corinne Viden (SWE) 75 77, Kelsey Macdonald (SCO) 76 76, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 75 77
153 - Cara Gorlei 75 78, Lauren Taylor (ENG) 73 80, Leonie Harm (GER) 75 78, Magdalena Simmermacher (ARG) 78 75, Ana Dawson (IMN) 78 75
154 - Lauren Walsh (IRL) 78 76, Marta Martin (ESP) 79 75
155 - Laura Sluman (PAN) 77 78, Ivanna Samu 73 82, Thalia Martin (ENG) 76 79, Elina Nummenpaa (FIN) 81 74, Maria Hernandez (ESP) 74 81
156 - Dorota Zalewska (POL) 81 75
157 - Gabrielle Venter 78 79, Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR) 72 85, Michelle Forsland (NOR) 78 79
158 - Kelsey Nicholas 77 81, Teresa Diez Moliner (ESP) 78 80, Lisa Coetzer (a) 77 81, Kyra van Kan (a) 79 79
159 - Katherine Muzi (USA) 80 79
161 - Helen Kreuzer (GER) 77 84
187 - Ellandri van Heerden (a) 95 92
RTD - Kiera Floyd 79 RTD