Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Golfer Louis Oosthuizen continued to threaten at the Volvo Golf Champions in Durban and shot 69 for the second round to share the halfway lead with Joost Luiten and Tommy Fleetwood on seven-under-par on Friday.
"The way I struck the ball today, to shoot that round, I'm confident in tomorrow to try to make a few more birdies," Oosthuizen said.
The 31-year-old said he was ready to defend his title at the Durban Country Club.
Despite wobbling to a bogey six at the par-five eighth, he made good par saves throughout the round to stay on top of the leaderboard.
"Holing out a lot of good par putts and had a few good chips to save my pars, but that's what you have to do to stay up there," he said.
"I still feel good heading into the weekend, so just need to play a little bit better on Saturday."
The 2010 Open Champion had no difficulty scoring in the stormy conditions of the second round. Overnight leader Raphael Jacquelin faded to four-under. Oosthuizen hung tough and made eight pars to close out the round.
"The way I was hitting it the last few holes, I'll take that," Oosthuizen said.
"I feel that with the wind condition it was tough.Thursday, you felt like you could still make two or three birdies on those holes, and today I was just making saves to finish par."
Luiten set the pace with a 67 on Friday that gave him the clubhouse lead on seven-under, but the feather in his cap was his first career albatross at the 10th.
The hole played at 512 metres on Friday, which turned out to be the perfect distance for the Dutchman.
"I hit a good drive middle of the fairway, 227 metres left to the pin," Luiten said.
Fleetwood, who took a maiden win at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last year, tied the lead with his own 67 on Friday.
Round two scores from the Volvo Golf Champions at the par-72 Durban Country Club on Friday.
137 - Joost Luiten, Tommy Fleetwood, Louis Oosthuizen
138 - Victor Dubuisson
139 - Matteo Manassero
140 - Raphael Jacquelin, Darren Clarke
141 - Chris Wood, Branden Grace, Marcel Siem
142 - Jamie Donaldson, Simon Thornton, Dawie van der Walt, Padraig Harrington
143 - Brett Rumford, Charl Schwartzel
144 - Colin Montgomerie, Thomas Aiken, Darren Fichardt
145 - Morten Orum Madsen, Michael Hoey, David Lynn, David Howell, Richard Sterne
146 - Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Mikko Ilonen
147 - Julien Quesne, Paul Casey, Stephen Gallacher, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Thomas Bjorn
148 - Peter Uihlein
149 - Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jin Jeong
150 - Jose Maria Olazabal
