DULLSTROOM, Mpumalanga – Wynand Dingle, a man with a talent for playing a guitar and golf equally well, is hunting his maiden Sunshine Tour victory as he heads into Saturday’s final round tied for the lead with Combrinck Smit and Anthony Michael at the Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate.
Dingle singed for a 69 at Highland Gate on Friday to climb to seven under par, joining overnight leader Smit (70) and Michael (69) in a share of the lead.
They are two strokes clear of the group of Jaco Prinsloo, Jacques Blaauw, James Hart du Preez and Brooklin Bailey.
Jean Hugo, a record 11-time champion on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series, is just three strokes off the lead. He’s joined there by Herman Loubser, who scored a hole-in-one during his 69 on Friday.
Of the three leaders, Dingle is an intriguing prospect going into the final round. He is tantalisingly close to a breakthrough win on the Sunshine Tour. Her challenged for the FBC Zim Open in May before a triple bogey on the 17th saw him finish ninth. Then he finished tied third in the FNB eSwatini Nkonyeni Challenge in July to further fuel his belief that a win is close.
“I’ve been playing well for quite some time but haven’t managed to put it together in tournament golf. I play a lot of social golf with my friends on the Sunshine Tour who have won and they often tell me it’s a mystery that I haven’t been able to take that form into tournament golf. So I’m really pleased to be in this position. I haven’t won yet on the Sunshine Tour and that’s the goal for me,” Dingle said.
“Highland Gate is not an easy course, and the wind really got up on Friday so it was challenging but I managed to hang in there. But what a golf course this is. It’s a special place.” – Michael Vlismas
