Joe Long, the 2020 Amateur Championship winner, is in hot pursuit of the lead after the second round on Friday of the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf event at De Zalze Golf Club in the Western Cape.
Long, the 25-year-old Englishman, carded a 10-under-par 62 to move to 14-under-par for the 54-hole tournament. His two eagles, eight birdies and two bogeys put him just two shots behind 36-hole leader and defending champion George Coetzee. Third-placed Albert Venter is four shots behind Long after he had a four-under 68 in the second round. Kyle Barker is in fourth on nine-under, with veteran Wallie Coetsee in fifth on seven-under.
Long started his round on the 10th, and was four-under through five holes with birdies on 11 and 13, and an eagle-three on 14. He made his first bogey on the 15th, but closed off his opening nine with birdies on 17 and 18 to turn in five-under 31.
He made it four birdies in a row after the turn with gains on one and two, before making his second bogey on the fourth. He was quickly back into his work with a birdie on five, and he picked up his second eagle on the par-five sixth. He picked up one more shot with a closing birdie on the ninth to come home in 31.
Behind him, Coetzee dropped his first shots of the tournament with a double-bogey five on the par-three ninth, negating the two birdies he’d made on six and eight. He turned in level-par 36, and then got going immediately with four birdies in the five holes from 10 to 14. He rounded things off with a birdie on 18, and he will take that two-stroke lead into the final round as he attempts to win the title for the second year in a row.
Long, whose girlfriend Tash lives in South Africa, turned professional in July 2021, plays out of Erinvale Golf Club while based in South Africa.
