If he were to take his victories every three years, then Rourke van der Spuy is overdue for his third on the Sunshine Tour. He set himself up for a shot at it on Thursday with a one-under-par 71 at Gary Player Country Club giving him a one-stroke lead ahead of the final round of the SunBet Challenge at Sun City.
It wasn’t a flawless round, with four birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey on his card, but it characterised the steady nature of his game and it showed that the good play in recent months is taking him closer to that third win. At five-under through 36 holes, he led by one from Hennie Otto, Louis de Jager, Kyle Barker and first-round leader Callum Mowat.
“I’m definitely a different player now than I was when I won those tournaments three years apart. But I trust the golfer I am,” said Van der Spuy. “It’s been an 18-month process and it’s something I now trust to get the job done in a final round. As you mature and go through the ups-and-downs of a golf career, your game evolves as you do as a person.”
It was that calmness which got him through the cold start which makes Gary Player Country Club such a challenge in winter. He made pars all the way through the seventh, but then he made double-bogey on the tough par-four eighth.
“I was just pleased to be bogey-free after seven holes, but then the double-bogey six was a punch in the gut,” said Van der Spuy. “I was very happy to recover with those birdies on nine and 10 straight after the double-drop and I was definitely more comfortable on the back nine.
“It was also a good day on the greens, I converted a few outside chances to keep the round going. Credit to my caddie, Jacob Lekgotho, who I called in three times on the back nine and he was spot-on with his lines.
“Jakes has been the caddie master at Sun City so he’s as comfortable around Gary Player Country Club as I am and those putts were real momentum-keepers,” Van der Spuy added.
Van der Spuy’s last top-10 finish on the Sunshine Tour was back in 2018 in Swaziland. But he has showed frequent glimpses of the kind of form which got him his first win as a rookie. He will have to deal with the experience of those closest to him, as well as the enthusiasm of a player like Barker who won’t hold back as he searched for a maiden win.
