England’s Joe Knox played himself to a four-way share of the lead ahead of the final round of the Betway Big Easy Tour final after he carded an eventful second-round 67 at The Els Club, Copperleaf, on Thursday.
Knox is on a tournament total of seven-under par alongside Warwick Purchase, Graham van der Merwe and overnight leader, Ulrich van den Berg, ahead of the final round at The Els Club, Copperleaf.
A winner already on this circuit this season – he claimed his victory in The Play-Off which was held at Killarney Country Club, the event which preceded this week’s final – Knox is not only targeting a win here this week, but has his sights set on the very top spot on the Order of Merit.
“I’m gonna try,” Knox said, candidly, of his desire to claim back-to-back wins. Like many in this field, however, Knox’s target is that coveted first spot on the Order of Merit; the honour of leading the top players into greatness.
“Me and Warwick (Purchase) played together today; we both played nicely. We’re good friends, so hopefully, we can kind of feed off each other tomorrow of we play together. And yeah, I think that No 1 spot on the Order of Merit is up for grabs.
“I think there’s a good number of guys who’ve already secured their (Sunshine Tour) cards, so they can kind of play with a bit of freedom. And the guys in the bubble might feel like they have to push. But the course is, kind of, in front of you, so you don’t always have to take aggressive lines or anything like that.”
Purchase, Graham van der Merwe – both winners this season – and, indeed, Ulrich van den Berg are no strangers to the winner’s circle. Both Purchase and Van der Merwe because first-time winners on the Betway Big Easy Tour this season while Van den Berg boasts and impressive eight victories on the Sunshine Tour alone.
While Knox’s round featured six birdies, an eagle and three dropped shots, Warwick’s was characterised by seven birdies and two bogeys. It was a strong showing from the Benoni Country Club member; an opportunity for him to also win his second title of the campaign.
“I played a little bit better today,” said Purchase after his round. “I made a couple of putts. Drove the ball okay; hit myself into some precarious positions but overall, a good day. “It’s a long golf course, so you’ve got to hit it onto some good positions. There are times to be aggressive on this golf course, but this week’s I’m just going to try to carry on with what I’ve done the whole season because it seems to have worked.”
Van der Merwe shot a near-perfect 68 while Van den Berg laboured to a 70 to take a share of the lead. Zimbabwe’s David Amm and Drikus Joubert tie the fifth spot at three-under-par and four shots off the pace while Phillip Geerts, Slade Pickering, Matthew Rushton, Ryan Van Der Klis, and Leon Visser share seventh on the leaderboard.
Only the top 30 players on the Order of Merit are eligible for the Final.
The Betway Big Easy Tour is the feeder circuit of the Sunshine Tour and enjoys the support of legendary South African golfer, Ernie Els, among many other patrons.
Scores:
137 - Joe Knox 70 67, Warwick Purchase 70 67, Graham van der Merwe 69 68, Ulrich van den Berg 67 70
141 - David Amm 70 71, Drikus Joubert 70 71
142 - Philip Geerts 73 69, Slade Pickering 72 70, Ryan van der Klis 73 69, Matthew Rushton 71 71, Leon Visser 71 71
143 - Toto Thimba Jnr 74 69, Paul Boshoff 74 69, Marcel Steyn Scholtz 70 73
144 - Tyron Davidowitz 72 72, Tyrone Ryan 72 72
145 - Andrew Williamson 74 71, Leon Vorster 75 70
146 - Luke Mayo 70 76
147 - Travis Ladner 73 74
148 - Richard Joubert 77 71
149 - Jaden Deltel 75 74, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 77 72
150 - Xander Basson 74 76, Christopher Long 76 74, Louis Liebenberg 78 72, Eric Wowor 79 71
156 - Andrew McLardy 79 77
157 - Francois Van der Walt 79 78