Despite this being only his second-ever round of golf at ERPM Golf Club in the East Rand, Mossel Bay’s Martin Vorster is feeling at home and his second-round 10-under 62 which helped him to a share of top spot in the Big Easy IGT Tour’s Race to Q-School held there, is enough testimony.
Vorster has never played a professional round at ERPM until this week and while his round-one three-under-par 69 was a strong enough round, it was on day two that Vorster really came out. On a tournament total of 13-under and co-leading with overnight leader Ryan van Velzen – who was just as impressive on day two – Vorster will now go into the final round here three shots ahead of the field.
“Today was my second-round ever on this course,” said an elated Vorster after round two. “What’s funny is that I wasn’t able to play a practice round because ERPM had their club champs on Saturday and Sunday and I only flew in on Friday night. So on Sunday, I just walked the course and did work on my short game.
“But today was just different because the putts actually fell into the hole. Yesterday, I hit the ball really well but the putts didn’t drop, and today was just better. I managed to make a few putts and that helped me.”
Following his opening 69, Vorster knew there was work awaiting him in the second round and a birdie on the first hole gave him a positive start. Then, he gave a shot away on the par-five second where his first of two bogeys came. A birdie on three to brush off the effects of that drop preceded a par on the fourth before Vorster went on a three-birdie run which was halted by a bogey on eight as he turned in 34.
“I pulled my driver on the second hole into the hazard,” Vorster explained, “but I hit a nice shot out of the hazard and then a nine-iron just left of the green and a great bunker shot to about four feet but I missed the putt. One of my bad putts for the day. On the eighth, same thing. I hit my driver right into the trees and made a good up-and-down at the end for a bogey. It was just a matter of stray tee shots.”
Having had a feel of what the course had to offer after 27 holes of play, after the turn, Vorster got to work. He birdied five of the six holes that followed after the par he made on 10, and then closed off with an eagle and a birdie, for good measure.
“I think it’s important to get a solid round in these tournaments,” he added, “because there are good players here and you need to shoot low to win a tournament.”
Van Velzen, for his part, shot a near-perfect six-under-par 66 to keep his spot at the summit of the leaderboard ahead of round three. His round was characterised by four birdies and a bogey on the front nine, while his back nine 33 was unblemished. Kyle McClatchie sits third after shooting a 66 which catapulted him to 10-under for the week.
The Race to Q-School will determine which players go through to the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifying School in April.
