Adilson looking to rekindle flame at Selborne
Last time the Sunshine Tour was at Selborne Park Golf Club, Adilson Da Silva chased James Kingston home and he is hoping for more of the same kind of golf this week.
He is playing in the R700 000 Vodacom Origins of Golf event which starts on Wednesday at the KwaZulu-Natal course, and he is hoping that an oddly quiet year for him will ignite ahead of his return to Asia for six weeks as he tries to climb the order of merit there.
He made two birdies on his way home to make Kingston sweat for his two-stroke victory in 2010, and that performance preceded his two victories on the Sunshine Tour that year – at the Zambia Open and the Suncoast Classic.
And with two more victories in 2011 – at the Nashua Golf Challenge in Sun City and the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Sishen – he would have felt he was set for a good 2012.
But after a good start with his share of 18th in the Africa Open in January, he has just one top 10 to his name with his share of sixth in June’s Lombard Insurance Classic in Swaziland.
For the 40-year-old Da Silva, this week’s tournament and next week’s Wild Waves Golf Challenge at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club are perfect preparation as he heads back to Asia, being close to his home at Ballito and in conditions he finds comfortable.
“It would be great if the wind blew a bit here this week,” he said of the 5 592-metre layout which really needs a bit of help from the elements in defence of its par 72.
With a fine drizzle appearing to be set in for at least the first day, and perhaps most of the second in the 54-hole event, and no wind to move it away, there may be low scores ahead.
The scores were low in the pre-qualifier, with Johan Bekker heading the leaderboard with his five-under 67.
Danie van Tonder, Martin du Toit, JJ Senekal and Anthony Michael were two shots back, with Stuart Clark, Michael Hollick, Lean Boezaart and Francois Coetzee on two-under.
There was a six-way playoff for the 10th and final spot available to the pre-qualifiers, and it was won by Graham van der Merwe , while Allister de Kock, , Pieter Moolman, Ryan Strauss, Ross Wellington and Wynand Dingle were the unlucky losers.
For Da Silva, a good week could see him join Ryan Cairns, Bryce Easton and Alan Versfeld as winners on this year’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour.
PRE-QUALIFIER SCORES (RSA unless specified):
67 - Johan Bekker
69 - Danie van Tonder, Anthony Michael, Martin du Toit, JJ Senekal
70 - Stuart Clark (WAL), Michael Hollick, Francois Coetzee, Lean Boezaart
71 - Graham van der Merwe
MISSED QUALIFICATION:
71 - Ross Wellington
71 - Allister de Kock
71 - Pieter Moolman, Ryan Strauss, Wynand Dingle
72 - Coenie Stoop, Bennie van der Merwe, David Ryan, Steven van Heerden, Ryan Thompson, Derick Petersen, Drikus van der Walt, Divan Gerber, Mark Fensham
73 - Thabo Maseko, Francois van Vuuren, Reggie Adams
74 - Beyers Smith, Daniel Hammond, Stuart Smith (BOT), Andre van Zyl, Tyrone Ryan, Sung-Moon Hohng (KOR), Johann Mostert
75 - Chris Erasmus, Coenie Bester, Dane Vosloo
76 - Michael Green
77 - Thomas Lovett, Jack Kutumane, Kangwine Chiluba (ZAM)
79 - Nathan Waghorn, Nisharlan Sewshanker
