From Sunshine Tour

Young stars Benjamin van Wyk and Tyran Snyders have played their way into a five-way tie for the lead and will chase their maiden Sunshine Tour titles in Friday’s final round of the Sunbet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya at Umhlali Country Club.

Van Wyk signed for a second round of 64 and Snyders posted a 67 to see them share the lead on six-under-par with the experienced Jaco Prinsloo (67), Louis Albertse (66) and Pieter Moolman (65). They are one stroke clear of the field.

Van Wyk, who recently graduated from college in America, finds himself in contention a month after he finished sixth on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

“I had an awesome day with my caddie, Jeff. I think I made 19 putts, which is by far the least I’ve had. I hit some good iron shots after I made a slight swing adjustment before the round. I’m really enjoying it. Playing pro golf is a lot of fun. It’s nice to be on the Sunshine Tour to see what I can do,” he said.

Snyders has also shown signs of finding his feet on tour, with finishes of seventh, eighth and 12th in three of his last four tournaments before this week.

“Life on the Sunshine Tour so far has been fun. It’s almost full circle as I’m meeting up with old friends again. I try not to make golf bigger than it is. It’s the same game I’ve played as a youngster,” he said.

With a five-way tie for the lead and as many as 17 players within three shots of the lead, including last week’s champion Haydn Porteous, it’s going to be a thrilling final round on Friday.

“I always like a stacked leaderboard. It makes it fun to watch,” said Van Wyk. “I’ll just stick to my routine and try and keep it simple and try to make lots of putts. I am super exited.”

Snyders is hoping for something similar.

“On this course there are a lot of guys that are still in it. I will just focus on what I can do and play like I did today – almost boring golf and take advantage of opportunities,” he said.