IGT Challenge Tour graduate Callum Mowat and rookie Kyle Barker kept in touch as joint overnight leader Louis de Jager shot to the top of the pile in the Centurion Challenge on Tuesday.
Three-time Sunshine Tour winner De Jager was composure personified as he fired eight birdies in the second round at Centurion Country Club for a flawless 64 to open up a four-shot lead at 12-under 132. Mowat took route 66 for a share of second with Barker, who registered a 68.
De Jager began day two tied for the lead with Barker and Divan Marais at four under, and had his foot on the accelerator from the start as he burst out of the blocks with back-to-back birdies.
The 30-year-old from The Els Club Copperleaf widened the gap with a brace of birdies at 14 and 15 and a fifth gain at 18, before he reeled in three more at one, five and seven for a four-shot cushion.
Mowat graduated from the country’s premier golf development circuit at the end of 2013.
The 25-year-old Modderfontein golfer returned to the country’s premier golf circuit to put his game under pressure in tournament conditions to see how it holds up, and he was surprised to find himself in contention.
‘I’m striking the ball really well, but my putting has been horrendous all year and it’s the only thing holding me back,’ he said. ‘I’m nowhere near where I need it to be, but I’ve got a few more events to go. Hopefully I get my groove back before my next Sunshine Tour start in July.’
Mowat was two off the pace after opening with a 70, and a double at 11 didn’t help his cause. ‘I opened with a solid par at 10, followed by a double at 11,’ said the GFG Academy player. ‘So not the start I was looking for. Then I chipped in from the bunker at 12 for eagle and that straightaway got the double out of my head.
‘I took an aggressive approach at 14 and 16 with the driver and cleared the water, leaving myself 40-off metres in. I made both birdie putts and the putt at 18 also dropped to take me to five under. I birdied one, but I left a few out there on the back nine that I should have made.’
He did make the birdie putts at seven and nine, though.’Nice to finish with a birdie for a change,’ he said. ‘Seeing so many red numbers feels great. Louis isn’t the calibre player who goes backwards, so it will take something really special to catch him. I will probably have to shoot a 64 or 65 to have half a chance, but things are looking up; it’s not out of the question if the putter behaves.’
Barker birdied 13 and 16 and he racked up four more in the first five holes on the back nine to get within two shots of De Jager, but the Randpark rookie let it slip with bogeys at seven and nine.
Amateur pair JP Cooper and Dean Martin round out the top five. Cooper, from Wingate, carded a 66 to move to seven under and Dainfern’s Martin finished a further stroke back after a superb 65.
Picture of Mowat courtesy of CJ du Plooy
Second Round Scores
All competitors SA unless otherwise specified and amateurs are indicated as AMA:
132 – Louis de Jager 68 64
136 – Kyle Barker 68 68, Callum Mowat 70 66
137 – JP Cooper AMA 71 66
138 – Dean Martin AMA 73 65
139 – Paul Boshoff 71 68
140 – Ruan Conradie 74 66, Andrew Williamson AMA 71 69, Luke Brown AMA 71 69
141 – Estiaan Conradie 71 70
142 – Brett Berman AMA 72 70, Divan Marais 68 74
143 – Mpho Mafishe 71 72, WM Coetzee AMA 73 70
144 – Ivanna Samu 71 73, Eric Nel AMA 69 75, Tudor Bismark (ZIM) 72 72
145 – David McIntyre AMA 75 70, Bryce Myburgh 72 73, Louis Albertse AMA 74 71, Nicol Kromhout AMA 74 71
146 – Ruan Korb 77 69, Slade Pickering AMA 72 74, Matthew Vogel 76 70, Thabi Ngcobo 72 74
147 – Jaco van der Merwe AMA 75 72, Armand van Dyk AMA 73 74
148 – Donald Thompson AMA 71 77, Ruhan van Dijk AMA 77 71
149 – Ricardo Towell 78 71, Nicholas Wolak AMA 77 72, Marc de Jager AMA (ENG) 78 71, Mohit Mediratta AMA (KEN) 77 72, Simon Kruger 75 74, Nicklas van Wyk AMA 75 74, Matthew Hands AMA 78 71
150 – Dougie Meijer 77 73, Ryan Wingrove AMA 75 75, Eric Wower AMA 74 76, Marais Visagie 73 77
151 – Michael Schutz 78 73, Andre van Heerden AMA 79 72, Marcus Smal AMA 73 78, Deon Bredenkamp 73 78, Lydon Charnley AMA 78 73, Cameron Gunning 76 75
152 – Hendrikus Stoop AMA 78 74, Alex Krebs AMA 77 75, Terry Smith 77 75
153 – Milton Maloon AMA 78 75
Missed the cut:
154 – Shaun van Tonder 77 77, Malachi Schulz AMA 79 75
155 – Christopher Constantinou AMA 73 82, Martinus Barnard 80 75, Duan Nagel AMA 78 77
157 – Brian Chirowsky AMA 82 75
158 – Dean du Plessis AMA 85 73
159 – Jay Dean Fourie 79 80
160 – Neville Mitchell AMA 77 83
161 – Neal Theart AMA 84 77
162 – Gareth Anderson AMA 83 79
166 – Donald Makhafola AMA 84 82
167 – Jacques Snyman AMA (NAM) 81 86
169 – Andrej Skrbinsek AMA 86 83
171 – Christopher de Beer AMA 94 77
179 – Alwyn Smith AMA 90 89
192 – Jurie Roux 96 96