The second round of the KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-Am at Irene Country Club was James Mack’s time to shine as the 25-year-old fired a spectacular 10-under-par 62 on Friday to claim a two-stroke lead in the R2 million Sunshine Tour event.
Mack began the second day two strokes off the lead but birdied the first and second holes to immediately close that deficit. He then birdied four successive holes from the seventh to the 10th and then also gained a shot on the par-four 12th. Further birdies on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes sealed his phenomenal round and saw him overtake Martin Rohwer at the top of the leaderboard on 15-under-par.
Rohwer followed up his 66 in the first round with a seven-under-par 65 on Friday, taking him to 13-under. He collected nine birdies but had a double-bogey on the par-four fifth hole.
Mack’s bogey-free round was his lowest ever on tour and represents a fine comeback from missing the cut in the season’s opening event, the FBC Zim Open.
Rohwer birdied the par-five second hole but then made a six on the par-four fifth hole. But the Country Club Johannesburg golfer was then able to ease his way to four successive birdies from the seventh, and, after a birdie on the par-four 14th he enjoyed a great finish as he birdied the last three holes.
Zimbabwean visitor Kieran Vincent was in third place after shooting a 67 to reach 10-under-par, sharing that spot with Rupert Kaminski, who posted a bogey-free 66.
First-round leaders Gerhard Pepler (75 for four-under) and Leon Vorster slid down the leaderboard on Friday. Pepler stumbled to a 75 and finished the second round on four-under-par, while Vorster shot an 80 and missed the cut on one-over-par.
SCORES:
129 - James Mack 67 62
131 - Martin Rohwer 66 65
134 - Kieran Vincent 67 67, Rupert Kaminski 68 66
135 - Stephen Ferreira 67 68
136 - Jacques Blaauw 69 67, Keenan Davidse 68 68, MJ Viljoen 69 67, Martin Vorster 69 67, Danie Van Niekerk 68 68, Wynand Dingle 68 68
137 - LB Boshoff 70 67, JJ Senekal 69 68, Stefan Wears-Taylor 66 71, Jonathan Broomhead 68 69, Joe Long 67 70, Keagan Thomas 68 69
138 - Hennie O'Kennedy 70 68, JC Ritchie 71 67, Otto Van Buynder 69 69, Christian Kriek 73 65, Jean-Paul Strydom 69 69, Luca Filippi 71 67, Luke Jerling 68 70
139 - Yurav Premlall 72 67, Ruan Korb 70 69, CJ du Plessis 73 66, Sean Bradley 69 70, Callum Mowat 70 69, Nikhil Rama 70 69, Ethan Smith 73 66
140 - Gerhard Pepler 65 75, Malcolm Mitchell 73 67, Kyle Barker 68 72, Stuart Krog 69 71, Thabiso Ngcobo 71 69, Heinrich Bruiners 70 70, Ricky Hendler 73 67
141 - Werner Deyzel 73 68, Irvin Mazibuko 68 73, Travis Ladner 72 69, Ruan de Smidt 69 72, Gregory Mckay 72 69, Haydn Porteous 70 71
142 - Jason Roets 69 73, Keegan Mclachlan 70 72, Jake Redman 73 69, Rhys West 73 69, Michael Hollick 72 70, Neil Schietekat 73 69, Jaco Van Zyl 69 73, Herman Loubser 74 68, Rourke van der Spuy 72 70, Estiaan Conradie 70 72, Jovan Rebula 72 70
143 - DK Kim 72 71, Ruan Groenewald 72 71, Fredrik From 69 74, Jack Hawksby 68 75, Hennie Otto 70 73, Lyle Rowe 72 71, Combrinck Smit 75 68, Jacques P de Villiers 70 73, Luke Brown 70 73, Dylan O'Leary 73 70
Missed the cut:-
144 - Conner Mackenzie 73 71, Jared Harvey 74 70, Daniel van Tonder 72 72, Gerard du Plooy 70 74, Quintin Wilsnach 75 69, Jacob Oakley 69 75, Trevor Mahoney 73 71, Doug McGuigan 71 73, Christiaan Basson 70 74
145 - Thanda Mavundla 67 78, Dayne Moore 74 71, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 76 69, Pierre Pellegrin 71 74, Adam Breen 72 73, Robson Chinhoi 73 72, Jean Hugo 72 73, Leon Vorster 65 80, Matthew Spacey 71 74, Steven Le Roux 73 72, Anthony Michael 73 72
146 - Nick Cunningham 75 71
147 - Thabang Simon 76 71, Jbe Kruger 73 74, Kyle De Beer 71 76, Kayle Wykes 73 74, Samuel Simpson 73 74, Tristin Galant 75 72
148 - Allister de Kock 71 77, Sentanio Minnie 73 75, Stals Swart 77 71
149 - Hayden Griffiths 74 75, Jabulane Mabilane 74 75, Austin Bautista 77 72, Merrick Bremner 76 73
150 - Keelan van Wyk 76 74, Dylan Mostert 76 74, Jastice Mashego 74 76, Teboho Sefatsa 74 76, James Kamte 78 72
151 - Andre De Decker 74 77, Sipho Bujela 75 76
152 - Makhetha Mazibuko 74 78, Madalitso Muthiya 73 79, Toto Thimba Jnr 74 78, Ruan Conradie 79 73
154 - Jacquin Hess 74 80, Franklin Manchest 80 74
155 - Slenda Sithebe 80 75
156 - CJ Levey 83 73, Mike Maile 77 79
157 - Jordan Duminy 82 75
158 - Tumelo Molloyi 80 78
159 - Lyle Pedro 85 74
163 - Umar Davids 79 84
RTD - Christiaan Burke 77 RTD