GOLF NEWS - Southern Cape’s Bradley de Beer laid down a marker for a first Sunshine Tour Junior Series title, but he will start the final round of the Sun International Africa Junior Open with two GolfRSA National Squad players in close pursuit.
The Southern Cape junior hit the front at the Fish River Sun Hotel and Country Club Resort with rounds of 68 and 70 on Saturday.
However Christo Lamprecht and Wilco Nienaber – competing in their final tune-up for the upcoming Fellowship Cup Test against India – lag just two off the pace at two under.
“It’s going to be an interesting final round,” said De Beer, who staved off Lamprecht to lift the Nomads North and South Championship title in Kimberley last year.
“We are all great friends and I played with Christo for the GolfRSA Junior Team in the SA Challenge Cup and at the International Triangular. There will definitely be some friendly rivalry in the final group, but we’re all here to win.
“I played really well tee to green and putted well in the first round. When the wind started to blow in the second round, I didn’t take any risks. I just grinded out pars. I can’t control what they do, but I can make sure I stick to my own game plan and take my birdies where I can get them.”
De Beer shared the first round lead with recent Bridge Managers Fund Junior Series champion Deon Germishuys.
He moved to two under with birdies at 10 and 12 and cancelled a bogey at 13 with a gain at 14. At 16 he added a fourth birdie, but gave a shot back at 18 to turn two under. A third bogey followed at the fourth, but he bounced back immediately with an eagle, birdie combination at five and six and parred his way home.
In round two, De Beer kept a clean card after a birdie-birdie start on the back nine, but fell victim to the 18th hole once again, this time dropping two shots.
“In the first round I had a three-putt bogey, and in the second round I duffed a chip,” he said. “I finished under a tree off the tee and tried to punch through the trees. The ball flew the green and left me with a downwind chip, which I duffed. I chipped again and two-putted for bogey.”
But the 18-year-old cruised home with nine straight pars and a tidy level par second round kept the Fancourt junior in pole position as his co-leader faltered.
Germishuys from Western Province racked up six birdies in the first round to offset a double bogey at the par three third, but the Strand golfer stumbled with four bogeys over the front nine in round two. He negated some of the damage with an eagle at the par five fifth on the homeward straight, but surrendered another shot at seven.
Reigning Sanlam SA Amateur champion Lamprecht from Southern Cape offset a double bogey at 12 and a bogey at 15 with five birdies for an opening 70 and he mixed a pair of birdies with two bogeys for his second round 72 to move into joint second.
Nienaber – a six-time winner this season and coming off an eight shot victory in the Individual Competition at the SA High Schools Championship – also returned rounds of 70 and 72 to join his GolfRSA Juniors team-mate.
Tyren Snyders from Boland followed an opening 74 with a four birdie 70 in round two to move into joint fifth with Barend Botha from Southern Cape, who registered rounds of 73 and 71.
First Round Scores (top 20)
140 Bradley de Beer 68 72
142 Christo Lamprecht Jnr 70 72; Wilco Nienaber 70 72
143 Deon Germishuys 68 75
144 Tyran Snyders 74 70; Barend Botha 73 71
145 Christiaan Burke 73 72; Kian Rose 69 76
146 Shaun Jones 74 72
147 Ayden Senger 74 73; Cole Stevens 72 75
148 Liam van Deventer 74 74
149 Brendan Porter 76 73; Rigardt Albertse 76 73; Yurav Premlall 75 74; Lumkile Mantshiyo 74 75; Nash de Klerk 71 78; Warwick Purchase 71 78; Saul Moss 71 78
150 Ryan van Velzen 70 80
ARTICLE: LALI STANDER, ON BEHALF OF GOLFRSA
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