Curro SA Juniors International champion Wilco Nienaber found himself deadlocked for the lead with two members of South Africa’s victorious All-Africa Junior Golf Championship team, and two more in close pursuit as second round action wrapped up in the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play Qualifier on Tuesday.
Nienaber won the SA Boys U-15 and U-17 titles, and the 16-year-old from Bloemfontein put himself in a strong position to challenge for a third Nomads SA Boys title with a four-under-par 68.
He took the lead at nine-under, but overnight leader Christo Lamprecht from Southern Cape and Jayden Schaper from Ekurhuleni made it a party of three at Langebaan Golf and Sports Club.
Reigning Sanlam SA Amateur champion Lamprecht clung to a share of pole position with a 69, while Schaper – who won the SA Boys U-13 and U-15 titles – threw his name in the hat with a 67.
The 36-hole cut to the top 64 and ties was set at nine over, leaving 67 players in the field who will contest the third and final rounds on Wednesday to earn a coveted spot in the 32-man line-up that will challenge for the Match Play Championship title.
Nienaber, Lamprecht and Schaper will start the third round with a two-shot cushion over Luke Mayo from KwaZulu-Natal and Southern Cape’s Martin Vorster, the reigning Nomads SA Boys U-17 champion, who posted respective rounds of 67 and 69.
However, trouble could lurk just behind the duo in second.
Western Province’s Deon Germishuys carded a 68 and Ruan Groenewald from Mpumalanga shot 67 to finish four shots off the pace. And it gets worse for the leading trio, with Luca Filippi and Garrick Higgo sitting only a further shot adrift in joint eighth with Werner Deyzel from Gauteng North, who returned a second round 69.
Last year, an eagle finish in the third round propelled Germishuys into contention and the Strand golfer closed with a 70 to win the Stroke Play Qualifier at Bloemfontein Golf Club.
Filippi from Western Province won the Individual Boys Competition at the All-Africa Junior Golf Championship by 12 shots, while South Africa’s top-ranked Higgo from Boland fired a blistering final round 65 to tie the amateur record at Royal Harare Golf Club.
Higgo carded a 69 and Filippi produced a flawless 67 that featured an eagle three at the final hole.
Filippi has been in threatening form over the last six weeks. Higgo lost last year’s final to Ross Sinclair and will have a point to prove – if this pair catch fire early on Wednesday, the 36-hole pacesetters will definitely have a fight on their hands.
Picture of Nienaber courtesy of Ernest Blignault
Second round leaderboard
135 – Jayden Schaper 68 67; Wilco Nienaber 67 68; Christo (Jnr) Lamprecht 66 69
137 – Luke Mayo 70 67; Martin Vorster 68 69
139 – Ruan Groenewald 72 67; Deon Germishuys 71 68
140 – Luca Filippi 73 67; Garrick Higgo 71 69; Werner Deyzel 71 69
141 – Christiaan Burke 73 68; Tyron Davidowitz 72 69; Andre van Dyk 72 69; Ian Botha 71 70; Reece Haikney 70 71; Daniel Cronje 70 71
143 – Wian van Aswegen 72 71
144 – Tyran Snyders 72 72; Gianni Pera 71 73; Carlo Heunis 69 75
145 – Marco Massiceti 73 72; Kifentse Nukeri 72 73; Yurav Premlall 71 74
146 – Slade Pickering 76 70; Willem Boshoff 75 71; Chris Woollam 74 72; NJ Botha 73 73; Devon Whitaker 72 74; Barend Botha 71 75; Eben Spangenberg 71 75
147 – Saul Moss 73 74; Franklin Manchest 71 76
148 – Shaun Jones 76 72; Nikhil Gopal 76 72; Bradley de Beer 76 72; Kyle Solomon 75 73; Cole Stevens 73 75; Jakub Hrinda 73 75; Dylan Underwood 72 76
149 – Xander Prinsloo 76 73; Ayden Senger 75 74; Ryan van Velzen 73 76; Ryan van der Klis 73 76; Ben van Wyk 71 78; Emile Raath 71 78; Keegan Mclachlan 70 79
150 – Gerhard Pepler 75 75; Loed Jordaan NED 75 75; Otto van Buynder 74 76; Dandre Spies 74 76; Craig Black 73 77; Aidon Willemse 73 77; Sebastian Terblanche 69 81
151 – Alex van Wyk 82 69; Rigardt Albertse 80 71; Crismar Engelbrecht 76 75; Lance van Rensburg 75 76; Hilmi Mallick 74 77; Angus Klintworth 74 77; Stals Swart 73 78
152 – Brandon Geere 77 75; Idrees Saban 76 76; Chandler Shaw 70 82
153 – Jordan Burnand 80 73; Jason Shaun Hale 78 75; Kieron van Wyk 75 78; Sean Cronje 74 79