File picture: Lyle Rowe during day 3 of the Vodacom Origins of Golf from Parys Golf & Country Estate on September 13, 2013 in Free State, South Africa. Photo by Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images.
“The course is in great shape, as usual,” Rowe said on Wednesday. “The greens are superb, and they’ve obviously narrowed the fairways a bit, but it suits my eye. “There are a lot of holes where if you drive it well you’re in a good position to make birdies and eagles.”
The lucrative summer leg of the Sunshine Tour gets underway with the R600 000 54-hole tournament, just over a month before the first of a run of European Tour co-sanctioned tournaments on the local tour.
Rowe was pleased with his current form heading into the tournament, having suffered a dip which led to the Port Elizabeth-based professional missing out on challenging for several titles on the local circuit.
“I went through a slump two months ago, but it’s gradually coming back now. I’m just trying to keep things simple,” Rowe said. “When you’re struggling, you start thinking too much and then the game goes all over the show. So now I just stick to a few key swing thoughts. I just need a few putts to drop to get that win.
“The guys that are winning are making putts. I’m not putting badly, but those one or two misses make a difference at the end of the week.” Former South African Open champion and European Tour campaigner Hennie Otto is in the field this week, as well as defending BMG Classic champion Teboho Sefatsa.
Rowe has challenged for two of his last three tournaments, finishing second and third on those occasions, and he hoped for a few more favourable results before the end of the year. “At least my game seems to be coming right for the summer,” he said.
“That’s always a big focus because you can hopefully have a nice Christmas if it’s gone well.”
– Sapa
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