From Sunshine Tour
There is probably no better example of the confidence with which Christiaan Burke is currently playing than the eagle he made at the last to retain his place at the top of the leaderboard in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Pezula Golf Estate on Friday.
Burke’s second round of 66 on Friday lifted him to 15-under-par and still well on track towards claiming a maiden Sunshine Tour title.
He is one stroke clear of Tyran Snyders, who signed for a 65, and the in-form Casey Jarvis, who carded a brilliant 62 including an outward nine of 29 where he started with five consecutive birdies and then added an eagle. Jarvis recently won The Hyundai Open on the Sunshine Tour.
But Burke has looked impressive this week as he opened with a 63 to lead the first round, and then put together a second round of five birdies and a bogey that had him one shot behind Snyders and Jarvis with three to play. An eagle on the par-five ninth then took him to the top of the leaderboard again.
“I played well the whole day and to finish off with an eagle makes it that much better. I didn’t have a particular strategy coming into this week – I just wanted to play and hit fairways and greens like I try and do every week. But the putter is starting to get really hot now so that’s a good thing. I can’t wait to just enjoy the weekend and try and play my best golf again,” said Burke.
Burke’s form has been building to this and he finished runner-up in last week’s Stella Artois Players Championship in a second half of his season where he’s been in contention a few times.
It’s the kind of form that’s carried him into 13th place on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit, and comes at a timely part of the season with the big summer tournaments to come.
Jean Hugo heads into the weekend just two shots off the lead and looking for a record 13th victory on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.
Jarvis’ 62 was one of two such superb rounds on Friday. Bryce Easton also added a round of 62 that lifted him into a share of seventh place on 12-under-par.
Kayle Wykes claimed a hole-in-one on the par-three fifth hole on his way to a 68. He wasn’t able to make the halfway cut, but it did earn him 50,000 Skybucks courtesy of Airlink. He is the sixth player to score an ace this season.
