It’s kind of difficult to mount a challenge to a player who shoots a second successive 10-under-par 62, but that’s what Charl Schwartzel finds himself trying to do after the second round on Saturday of LIV Golf’s Adelaide event at Grange Golf Club.
Schwartzel carded a fine six-under-par 66 after starting his round in the shotgun start on the 18th, but he found himself 10 strokes off the pace as Talor Gooch made an eagle and eight birdies to go with his 10 birdies in the first round.
So, in what is in effect a fight for second, Schwartzel finds himself together with American Pat Perez, Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, Masters runner-up Brooks Koepka, his countryman and Stinger GC teammate Louis Oosthuizen, and another American in Cameron Tringale. Dean Burmester was one of five players on nine-under, one of whom was local hero Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open champion.
The other South African, Branden Grace, was on five-under in a share of 31st in the 48-man field after he signed for a six-under 66.
The all-South African team of Stinger GC, at 33-under, was just three shots behind the leaders, Range Goats GC, with Harold Varner III with his eight-under 64 and captain Bubba Watson’s five-under 67 adding to Gooch’s contribution.
