Danie van Niekerk carded a six-under-par 66 on Friday in the second round of the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf event at San Lameer Country Club to move into a one-stroke lead.
He moved to 10-under-par for the tournament with seven birdies and a bogey to break a streak of three missed cuts. He had a one-stroke lead over Wynand Dingle, who signed for a four-under-par 68 to move to nine-under and a step closer to maiden Sunshine Tour title. Jaco Prinsloo and Sean Bradley were in a share of third on nine-under, and there were six players in a share of fifth on eight-under.
Van Niekerk has, in fact, missed eight cuts in 11 tournaments this season, but, when he has made the cut, he has produced a top-10 finish and two top-15s. So the omens are good for the 34-year-old who plays out of Lichtenburg, and who turned pro in 2009. He will want to forget the bogey he made on 18 before he tees off in the final round, however.
His best finish came in the FNB eSwatini Nkonyeni at the end of July, when he finished in a share of eighth behind winner Prinsloo, and that came on the back of a final-round 67. It was the second-lowest round of the day. That kind of finish will serve him well this week.
Dingle came so close to a breakthrough win in his 14th year on the Sunshine Tour when he was runner up in the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Highland Gate last month. Bogeys on nine and 17 at San Lameer prevented him from holding the lead going into the final round this week, but three top-10s this season are signs that he is close to that elusive victory.
Prinsloo, on the other hand, has four Sunshine Tour wins to his name, and his six birdies and a bogey in the second round for a five-under gave notice that he has the form to pull off a second win this season.
The other man in third is Bradley, and he, like Van Niekerk and Dingle, is in search of a first Sunshine Tour title. He, unlike those two, is a relative newcomer, having turned professional in 2017. He is fresh off a share of third in last week’s tournament, the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge at Selborne Park. He kept his head after an opening 66 at San Lameer, and carded a three-under 69 despite the irritation of consecutive bogeys on 15 and 16 on his front nine for the day.
But it’s all to do for Van Niekerk. He has a best professional finish of a share of third on the Big Easy Tour way back in 2017. Keeping his head for 18 more holes could be enough to see him break through.
