DURBAN (KwaZulu-Natal) – South Africa’s Shaun Norris seized control of the Investec South African Open lead on a day when countryman Dylan Naidoo surged into contention with a 61, and England’s Dale Whitnell stunned the field with his two holes-in-one in a single round at Durban Country Club on Friday.
By the end of a long day in which the field had to complete the suspended first round and then go straight into the second, Norris finished off his opening 66 and then produced a second round of 64 to lead on 14 under par overall.
“I finished off the first round nicely and then just carried that into the second round. I’m hitting the ball nicely and putting myself in good positions where I’m looking at birdie all the time. I’m very happy. I’ve left a few putts out there, but that’s a positive for me because it means we can hopefully still go a little bit deeper,” said Norris. The second round will have to be completed on Saturday morning following the delayed start on day one.
But it was one of those remarkable days in the history of this proud championship where anything that could happen pretty much did, including the rare feat of two holes-in-one by the same player in the same round.
Whitnell aced the par-three second hole with a seven iron, and then added another ace on the par-three 12th hole with a 50 degree wedge on his way to a second round of 63 and a tournament total of nine under par.
His second round started with a birdie, hole-in-one and then an eagle in his first three holes and he went from fighting to make the cut to being right in the hunt for the title.
“That was a hot start. I didn’t realise the first hole-in-one went in until I heard the cheers. Then to have a second hole-in-one on the 12th is bizarre. It’s a weird feeling. I now have five holes-in-one, but this is the first time I’ve done so in a tournament. It’s incredible,” he said.
One man who also left nothing out there was Naidoo, who went on a scoring frenzy in which he admitted he didn’t even know what his score was at one stage as he signed for a 61 to finish Friday as Norris’s nearest challenger on 13 under par. He’s chasing a DP World Tour title once again after also challenging for December’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
“It’s crazy. I honestly had no idea what I shot. I was just trying to hit the best shots I could. I had a few spectators ask me on 11 what my score was and I said, ‘No clue’. But this shows me again I’m good enough to compete and I’ve got what it takes at this level,” said Naidoo, who is keenly aware of the history of Durban Country Club and the great Indian golfer Sewsunker “Papwa” Sewgolum’s place therein.
“It’s such a beautiful club and we’re lucky to be here, and it’s important to remember the history as well,” he said.
Former Investec South African Open champion Branden Grace finished Friday alongside Darren Fichardt and Andrea Pavan on 11 under par, while England’s Sam Bairstow was also on 11 under with 10 holes still to complete before darkness forced a suspension of play.
Christiaan Maas produced a masterful 64 to easily lead the amateur race for the Freddie Tait Cup on 10 under par overall, while another former Investec South African Open champion in Brandon Stone is just five shots off the lead.
