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Pennington - Merrick Bremner will take a two-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Selborne Park Golf Club and is close to his second victory in four tournaments.
Bremner followed up his opening 63 with a solid 68 on Thursday, and has come through 36 holes of the most thoughtful and calculated golf of his career at the top of the leaderboard on 13 under par.
His nearest challengers are defending champion Adilson da Silva and Danie van Tonder on 11 under.
Da Silva signed for a 68 in which he was held back by several birdie putts that didn’t drop.
"It’s frustrating, because the greens are really okay, and I just couldn’t get it in the hole," he said.
Van Tonder produced an impressive 63.
But if anybody knows how to plan his way around a golf course it’s Da Silva, and while Bremner is well aware of the threat posed by the Brazilian he’s determined not to let it distract him on the final day.
"Not much changes. It’s still the same golf course. And besides, you’re not playing the player, you’re playing the course," said Bremner.
It’s been his approach to this golf course that has been so impressive this week. Bremner’s usual high-risk game has been managed very well around a short but tricky layout.
Selborne can yield a lot, as it did to Pieter Moolman on Thursday. Moolman made a run at the lead and the record books when he went out in 29 and then climbed to 11 under for his round through 15 holes. But it can just as quickly bite back, as it did when Moolman bogeyed holes 16 and 18 for a still impressive 63, taking him from four over to five under for the tournament.
Although he did admit that the sudden presence of the TV cameras also unnerved him.
And Ryan Cairns enjoyed his round of 66, which was highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-three fourth.
Bremner also took most of what he wanted from Selborne, but did suffer his first bogey in 36 holes at the par-four 15th.
"It was a poor tee shot. I took off a little bit too much off the corner and didn’t carry it. I tried to do the sensible thing and just punch out the rough and make four, but I couldn’t do it. But a five was okay," he said.
The 15th represents exactly what Bremner has tried to manage this week, namely his tee shots into the sloping fairways here.
"I hit 10 fairways in the first round and 10 today, which is solid. To keep the ball on the fairways here is tricky with these slopes."
Second round scores from the Origins of Golf event played at the par-72 Selborne Park Golf Club (RSA unless specified):
131 - Merrick Bremner 63 68
133 - Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 65 68, Danie van Tonder 70 63
134 - Jacques Blaauw 67 67, Ross Wellington 69 65
135 - Musiwalo Nethunzwi 67 68
136 - Drikus van der Walt 70 66, Ulrich van den Berg 67 69
137 - Tyrone Mordt 68 69, Michael Hollick 68 69, Wallie Coetsee 68 69, Trevor Fisher Jnr 70 67, Dean Burmester 68 69, Alex Haindl 69 68
138 - Derik Ferreira 70 68, Jake Roos 70 68, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 72 66, Grant Muller 70 68, Theunis Spangenberg 68 70, Neil Schietekat 66 72
139 - Johan de Beer 69 70, Gert Myburgh 66 73, Ruan de Smidt 68 71, Christiaan Basson 69 70, Tyrone Ferreira 69 70, Pieter Moolman 76 63, Andrew Curlewis 70 69, Warren Abery 70 69, Jean Hugo 67 72, Steven Ferreira 69 70
140 - Daniel Greene 73 67, Lindani Ndwandwe 71 69, Charl Coetzee 72 68, Matthew Carvell 69 71, Jared Harvey 70 70, James Kamte 69 71, Titch Moore 69 71, Anthony Michael 69 71
141 - Allan Versfeld 76 65, Justin Harding 73 68 Missed the cut:-
142 - Shaun Norris 68 74, Keenan Davidse 69 73, Mark Murless 70 72, Des Terblanche 72 70
143 - Bradford Vaughan 72 71, JJ Senekal 72 71
144 - Ryan Tipping 73 71, Ockie Strydom 70 74, Graham van der Merwe 71 73
145 - PH McIntyre 76 69, Bryce Easton 73 72, Jake Redman 68 77, Bennie van der Merwe 75 70, Heinrich Bruiners 68 77, Andre Cruse 72 73
146 - Brandon Detweiler (USA) 70 76, Vaughn Groenewald 79 67, Dion Fourie 73 73
147 - Maritz Wessels 73 74, Divan van den Heever 75 72, Chris Swanepoel 77 70, Morne Buys 72 75
148 - Lyle Rowe 76 72
149 - JG Claassen 75 74, Beyers Smith 72 77, Torben Baumann (GER) 75 74
150 - Martin du Toit 77 73
151 - Colin Nel 71 80, Mark Williams 72 79
152 - Bradley Sinnett 75 77, Alan Michell 77 75
156 - Greg Bentley (ZIM) 83 73
Bremner followed up his opening 63 with a solid 68 on Thursday, and has come through 36 holes of the most thoughtful and calculated golf of his career at the top of the leaderboard on 13 under par.
His nearest challengers are defending champion Adilson da Silva and Danie van Tonder on 11 under.
Da Silva signed for a 68 in which he was held back by several birdie putts that didn’t drop.
"It’s frustrating, because the greens are really okay, and I just couldn’t get it in the hole," he said.
Van Tonder produced an impressive 63.
But if anybody knows how to plan his way around a golf course it’s Da Silva, and while Bremner is well aware of the threat posed by the Brazilian he’s determined not to let it distract him on the final day.
"Not much changes. It’s still the same golf course. And besides, you’re not playing the player, you’re playing the course," said Bremner.
It’s been his approach to this golf course that has been so impressive this week. Bremner’s usual high-risk game has been managed very well around a short but tricky layout.
Selborne can yield a lot, as it did to Pieter Moolman on Thursday. Moolman made a run at the lead and the record books when he went out in 29 and then climbed to 11 under for his round through 15 holes. But it can just as quickly bite back, as it did when Moolman bogeyed holes 16 and 18 for a still impressive 63, taking him from four over to five under for the tournament.
Although he did admit that the sudden presence of the TV cameras also unnerved him.
And Ryan Cairns enjoyed his round of 66, which was highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-three fourth.
Bremner also took most of what he wanted from Selborne, but did suffer his first bogey in 36 holes at the par-four 15th.
"It was a poor tee shot. I took off a little bit too much off the corner and didn’t carry it. I tried to do the sensible thing and just punch out the rough and make four, but I couldn’t do it. But a five was okay," he said.
The 15th represents exactly what Bremner has tried to manage this week, namely his tee shots into the sloping fairways here.
"I hit 10 fairways in the first round and 10 today, which is solid. To keep the ball on the fairways here is tricky with these slopes."
Second round scores from the Origins of Golf event played at the par-72 Selborne Park Golf Club (RSA unless specified):
131 - Merrick Bremner 63 68
133 - Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 65 68, Danie van Tonder 70 63
134 - Jacques Blaauw 67 67, Ross Wellington 69 65
135 - Musiwalo Nethunzwi 67 68
136 - Drikus van der Walt 70 66, Ulrich van den Berg 67 69
137 - Tyrone Mordt 68 69, Michael Hollick 68 69, Wallie Coetsee 68 69, Trevor Fisher Jnr 70 67, Dean Burmester 68 69, Alex Haindl 69 68
138 - Derik Ferreira 70 68, Jake Roos 70 68, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 72 66, Grant Muller 70 68, Theunis Spangenberg 68 70, Neil Schietekat 66 72
139 - Johan de Beer 69 70, Gert Myburgh 66 73, Ruan de Smidt 68 71, Christiaan Basson 69 70, Tyrone Ferreira 69 70, Pieter Moolman 76 63, Andrew Curlewis 70 69, Warren Abery 70 69, Jean Hugo 67 72, Steven Ferreira 69 70
140 - Daniel Greene 73 67, Lindani Ndwandwe 71 69, Charl Coetzee 72 68, Matthew Carvell 69 71, Jared Harvey 70 70, James Kamte 69 71, Titch Moore 69 71, Anthony Michael 69 71
141 - Allan Versfeld 76 65, Justin Harding 73 68 Missed the cut:-
142 - Shaun Norris 68 74, Keenan Davidse 69 73, Mark Murless 70 72, Des Terblanche 72 70
143 - Bradford Vaughan 72 71, JJ Senekal 72 71
144 - Ryan Tipping 73 71, Ockie Strydom 70 74, Graham van der Merwe 71 73
145 - PH McIntyre 76 69, Bryce Easton 73 72, Jake Redman 68 77, Bennie van der Merwe 75 70, Heinrich Bruiners 68 77, Andre Cruse 72 73
146 - Brandon Detweiler (USA) 70 76, Vaughn Groenewald 79 67, Dion Fourie 73 73
147 - Maritz Wessels 73 74, Divan van den Heever 75 72, Chris Swanepoel 77 70, Morne Buys 72 75
148 - Lyle Rowe 76 72
149 - JG Claassen 75 74, Beyers Smith 72 77, Torben Baumann (GER) 75 74
150 - Martin du Toit 77 73
151 - Colin Nel 71 80, Mark Williams 72 79
152 - Bradley Sinnett 75 77, Alan Michell 77 75
156 - Greg Bentley (ZIM) 83 73
