Three-way lead sets up thrilling final round at Glendower

A trio of exciting talents topped the leaderboard after the second round of the African Bank Championship at Glendower Golf Club on Thursday, with Jayden Schaper, Danie van Tonder and Martin Rohwer all tied on seven-under-par as the second event in the Rise-Up series headed into the final round on Friday.

Jaco Ahlers was also very much in contention after he fired the round of the day, a four-under-par 68, to climb into fourth place on six-under, just one stroke behind. And the experience and skills of Darren Fichardt (-5), the winner last week at Killarney, Neil Schietekat (-5), Jake Roos (-4) and George Coetzee (-4) also could not be discounted.

The combination of a top-class course with slick winter greens and the vagaries of a blustery wind made for a particularly tough test, and overnight leader Rohwer could only follow up his brilliant 65 on the first day with a level-par 72. That allowed Van Tonder and Schaper, who both shot two-under 70s, to catch him.

“It got tough out there with the wind blowing at about 30km/h and the greens are slick too,” Van Tonder said.

“You’ve got to pick your lines carefully and not always go for the flags, otherwise you open yourself up for three-putts.

“It’s about hitting fairways and greens. You’ve got to stick with your selection of club, hit it as hard as you can and just hope it goes on.

“With the gusts you’ve got to time it correctly.”

Rohwer regained the lead with an eagle at the par-five 15th, but then three-putted the last to slip back to seven-under.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old from Kloof Country Club was pleased with a day of solid ball-striking.

“I was really solid today from tee-to-green,” Rohwer said.

“I felt like I had control of the ball all through the round, but I just struggled on the greens. That three-putt on the last leaves a sour taste, but to be level-par with the conditions we were playing in, that’s not too bad.

“You were just not sure what the wind was doing so it was difficult to hit your numbers.”

The 19-year-old Schaper showed enormous maturity as he held his round together after an up-and-down start in which he had two bogeys, a birdie and an eagle in the first five holes, before dropping successive shots around the turn.

“There was a lot more wind today, so it was a bit tougher, and the pins were all tucked in on the front nine, so I didn’t make a good start,” Schaper said.

“I only hit three fairways in my first 12 holes and made a couple of three-putts, so I really put myself under pressure. But the back nine is much more accessible. I pulled myself together and finished well.”

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