No one throws Stone off the top
The presence of Brandon Stone looms large at Glendower Golf Club after the overnight leader extended his advantage to five strokes in Wednesday’s second round of the South African Stroke Play Championship.
The country’s leading amateur took route 66 for a one shot lead on Tuesday and maintained his irrepressible form with a four-under-par 68 to set the midway target at 10 under 134.
Desne van den Bergh and Callum Mowat and SA No 2, Haydn Porteous will lead the local charge at five under while Italy’s Francesco Bolognezi will carry the international challenge.
Porteous signed for a 71 while the South Africans and Bolognezi carded 70s.
England’s Toby Tree is back in contention at four under after firing a three-under-par 69 a week after claiming the Gauteng North Stroke Play. The Englishman shares sixth place with Lionel Weber of France, who hung on with a 73, and local golfer JD Oosthuizen, who stayed in touch with a 71.
Meanwhile Soweto Country Club’s Muzi Nethenzwi fired a 70 to claim a share of eighth with Gert Myburgh at three-under-par 141.
But Stone remains the man to beat.
The 18-year-old Gauteng North golfer got off to a rocky start with a bogey at the 10th, but hit back with a birdie at the 11th for what he described as his best hole of the day.
“I hit my tee shot into the fairway trap on the left and I had about 120m left to a back pin, which is always tricky,” he explained.
“I hit an unbelievable gap-wedge to about 15 foot and holed it for birdie. That was just the kind of result I needed to get the momentum back after their bogey at the 10th.”
Stone enjoyed a brace of birdies at 14 and 15 to turn in 34 and birdied the second to dip to three under. But after four pars, he fell foul of the short stick and three-putted from 20 feet put a second blue number on his card.
“I hit a superb drive at that hole,” he said. “I had a 118 yards to the pin and I pulled a gap-wedge; came over the top and hit it 15 yards long and 20 yards left.
“From a hole where I’m looking to make birdie, I’m leaving with a bogey. It felt like a two-shot swing.”
But Stone retaliated again, this time with back-to-back birdies at the closing holes.
“I hit a great tee shot at the par-three to two feet for eagle at the 17th and the putt swung a foot, but I still made the birdie and birdied the last, so I was happy that I came back from both bogeys to level the score.”
Stone knows he has a target on his back going into the final two rounds.
“I’ve got a five shot lead but there will be at least 60 guys coming for me,” he said.
“Given the quality of the field, I’m taking nothing for granted. If I’m not at the top of my game, they will catch me. So I’ll stick to the same game; it’s worked so far, so why change it?
“I set myself a target of 12 under for the week, but I’m at 10 under so I need to push it to 16 under or 18 under, just to keep the pressure on myself.”
After signing for his 68, Stone spoke of his desire to capture the Stroke Play Championship.
“I want to win this title very, very much. I had a chance last year and I didn’t succeed, so this is my second shot. It’s just something I really want to achieve.”
The former professional is giving the SA Stroke Play one more shot and under the guidance of his caddie, 14-time Sunshine Tour winner Jean Hugo, shot a 73 to come in one shot under the cut to 65 and ties, set at six-over-par 150.
“Now the real work starts for Leonard,” said Hugo. “I’ve done my bit and got him past the cut; now the rest is up to him.”
LEADING SCORES
134 Brandon Stone 66 68
139 Desne van den Bergh 69 70; Callum Mowat 69 70; Haydn Porteous 68 71; Andrea Bolognesi 69 70 (ITA)
140 Toby Tree 71 69 (ENG); JD Oosthuizen 69 71; Lionel Weber (FRA) 67 73
141 Musiwalo Nethunzwi 71 70; Gert Myburgh 67 74
142 Lourens Volschenk 72 70; Filippo Bergamaschi (ITA) 73 69; Christoff Els 72 70; Kenny Goosen 70 72
143 Jacques Kruyswijk 73 70; Rowan du Preez 72 71; Scott Crichton 69 74 (SCO)
144 Michael Loppnow 73 71; Jason Froneman 69 75; Nicholas Scher 71 73; Francesco Laporta (ITA) 72 72; Jacquin Hess 74 70; Drickus Bruyns 72 72
145 Sarel van der Walt 71 74
146 Hano van der Walt 71 75; Cedric Rooi 72 74; Coert Groenewald 78 68; Brian Soutar (SCO) 70 76; Gideon Pienaar 71 75; Shaun Smith 73 73
147 Victor Lange 69 78; Zander Lombard 74 73; Stefan Cronje 74 73; Louis Taylor 74 73; Hugo Delport 77 70; Romano Saincic 71 76; Johan Theron 72 75; Oswin Schlenkrich 76 71; Jacques Prinsloo 79 68; Mark Mahoney 76 71; Kenny Subregis (FRA) 74 73; Daniel Kay (SCO) 72 75
148 Arnand Abbas (FRA) 76 72; Jamie Clare (ENG) 73 75; Aubrey Barnard 74 74; Hendrikus Stoop 72 76; Jean-claude van Dommelen 76 72; Mathieu Decottignies (FRA) 75 73; Delin Erasmus 75 73; Ryan Dreyer 73 75 Eddie Taylor 72 76
149 Andi Dill 74 75; Waylon Kukard 75 74; Paul de Beer 74 75; Leonard Loxton 76 73; Glen de Waal (NAM) 71 78; Fraser McKenna (SCO) 72 77; Terence Boardman 76 73; Wesley Baptiste 75 74; Conway Kunneke 77 72; Olivier Rozner (FRA) 72 77; Jonathan Raphunga 73 76; Stefan Rall 77 72; Jacopo Vecchifossa (ITA) 73 76
150 Graham van den Berg 75 75; Anton Steenkamp 73 77; Le Riche Ehlers 75 75; Werner Theart 77 73; Joubert van Eeden 75 75; Werner van Niekerk 71 79; Morten Bredahl 73 77; Pierre Viviers 78 72; James White (SCO) 75 75; NJ Arnoldi 76 74; Conor O’ Neil (SCO) 70 80
MISSED CUT:
151 Sheldon Steyn 78 73; Francois Kruger 79 72; CJ du Plessis 80 71; Werner Ferreira 75 76; Paul Shields (SCO) 77 74; Justin Turner 76 75; Bryce McCabe 79 72; Dylan Raubenheimer 79 72
152 Max Smith (ENG) 79 73; Jean-Paul Strydom 79 73; Thys Swart 79 73; Sipho Bujela 77 75; Tyran van Lieshout 76 76; Roux Jeffery (NAM) 74 78; Matt Sheehan (ENG) 76 76; Christiaan Bezuidenhout 76 76; Jaco Mouton 74 78; Alexander Kleszcz (AUS) 75 77
153 Andre Nel 77 76; Teaghan Gauche 74 79; Jacques de Villiers 73 80; Chad Evans 75 78; Jaco Prinsloo 75 78; Eduard van den Berg 74 79; Ross Callaghan 75 78; Matthew Sutherland 80 73; Elton James 79 74; Nathan Scott 73 80; Pedrie Oosthuizen 73 80; Burger Heckroodt 80 73
154 Ryan Gosling 75 79; Tristen Strydom 81 73; Darin de Smidt 75 79; John Ferreira 76 78; Corne van Deventer 81 73; Mitchell Kock 77 77
155 Jared Burnard 79 76; Aubrey Beckley 78 77; MG Keyser 78 77; Brent Edgar 79 76; Rae Mackie 78 77; Andrew Light 80 75
156 Kobie Hugo 78 78; Jason Alexandre 81 75; Wicus Bezuidenhout 79 77; Gareth Petler 78 78; Ruan Huysamen (NAM) 80 76; Pieter Cooper 81 75; Terence Salo 78 78; Shaun Reynolds 81 75
157 Darryn Myers 77 80; Jordan Prytz 80 77; Emanuele Sesia (ITA) 73 84; Michael Dixon 81 76; Jarred Miltz 77 80
158 Christiaan van der Merwe 77 81; Philip Kruse 74 84
160 Nic Elliot (ENG) 79 81; Dewald Keys 82 78
162 David Watts 81 81; Hilton Hughes 81 81; Breyten Meyer 84 78
163 Aneurin Gounden 82 81
164 Wade Jacobs 84 80; Thinus Breytenbach 80 84
165 Armandt Scholtz 83 82
166 Giorgio de Fillippi (ITA) 82 84
Report Day 1