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Cape Town - He got out there early, laid down a marker before the wind picked up too much, and Hennie Otto finished round two of the Lion of Africa Cape Town Open with a four stroke lead after his four-under-par 68.
He reached the halfway mark at Royal Cape Golf Club on a total of 10-under-par 134, with Tjaart van der Walt and Omar Sandys on six-under-par. Jared Harvey, Justin Harding, Desvonde Botes and Allan Versfeld were another two shots back on 140.
Otto, who has 12 Sunshine Tour titles to his name, used all that experience to his advantages as he went round the 6,260-metre course without dropping a shot – a feat all the other players in the field would have paid dearly for.
"It’s about where you feel comfortable," said Otto of the fact that he has played Royal Cape so many times before.
"Some guys feel comfortable on the golf course and always play well there.
"They said the wind was going to pick up and it did.
"There was nearly a four-club wind at one stage," said Otto of that treacherous stretch.
He started his round on the 10th, and didn’t make a birdie until he reached the 16th – and then he made three in a row, and another after the turn on the second, for good measure.
Crucially, he had negotiated 13, 14 and 15 without dropping a shot, and those holes were to prove the nemesis of many further down in the pack during a breezy second round.
To have opened up that lead ahead of a weekend when the wind is expected to blow throughout is going to be important as he pushes for victory.
"It all depends on what happens to the guys behind me," he said,
"And the wind could blow even harder tomorrow and that will be a very good test then.
"I’m playing well and just trying to take it day by day and see what happens."
Van der Walt and Sandys had seven bogeys between them – three for Van der Walt and four for Sandys – and that made keeping Otto within striking distance was made more difficult for them when the weekend’s play starts.
In the end, Otto’s four-under was matched only by Ruan de Smidt, Gert Myburg and Ulrich van den Berg, whose 68 was spoiled by a bogey-bogey finish which left him eight shots off the lead and very frustrated.
In the BMG Classic two weeks ago, Van den Berg got the better of Otto.
"Ulrich just played better than I did on the final day, and there is nothing you can do about that kind of situation," said Otto.
It’s going to take a superhuman effort this week.
"The last couple of months I’ve played well," said Otto.
"I’m just trying to take it day by day and see what happens."
Scores (RSA unless specified):
134 - Hennie Otto 66 68
138 - Tjaart van der Walt 69 69, Omar Sandys 67 71
140 - Jared Harvey 70 70, Justin Harding 71 69, Desvonde Botes 69 71, Allan Versfeld 70 70
141 - Bradford Vaughan 70 71, Jbe' Kruger 69 72, Ross Wellington 71 70, Doug McGuigan 70 71, JJ Senekal 71 70, Heinrich Bruiners 72 69, Michael Hollick 69 72, Anthony Michael 68 73
142 - Drikus Bruyns 72 70, Justin Walters 69 73, Jake Roos 70 72, Wynand Dingle 70 72, Trevor Fisher Jnr 71 71, Ulrich van den Berg 74 68, Charl Coetzee 71 71, Mark Williams 72 70
143 - Derick Petersen 72 71, Titch Moore 73 70, Alan McLean (SCO) 72 71, Divan Gerber 71 72, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 73 70, Johan de Beer 71 72, Andrew Curlewis 70 73, Adrian Ford 71 72
144 - Clifford Howes 69 75, Peter Wilson (ENG) 69 75, Mark Murless 73 71, Lyle Rowe 69 75, Peter Karmis 68 76, Ryan Tipping 71 73, Wallie Coetsee 73 71, Reggie Adams 69 75, Ryan Strauss 75 69, Johan du Buisson 71 73, Tyrone Mordt 69 75, Prinavin Nelson 72 72
145 - Stuart Smith (BOT) 70 75, Makgetha Mazibuko 70 75, Neil Schietekat 71 74, Warren Abery 71 74, Keith Horne 70 75, Steve Surry (ENG) 72 73, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 70 75, Jacquin Hess 72 73, Ruan de Smidt 77 68, Alan Michell 72 73, Oliver Bekker 74 71, James Kingston 69 76, Anton Haig 71 74, Theunis Spangenberg 74 71, Dean Burmester 72 73
146 - Maritz Wessels 70 76, Drikus van der Walt 69 77, Kevin Stone 72 74, Danie van Tonder 70 76, Martin du Toit 73 73, Shaun Smith 71 75, Pieter Moolman 73 73, Desne van den Bergh 74 72, Erik van Rooyen 70 76, Jean Hugo 72 74, Keenan Davidse 72 74, Shaun Norris 71 75, Alex Haindl 75 71, Matthew Carvell 73 73, Gert Myburgh 78 68
Missed the cut:-
147 - Tyrone Ryan 75 72, Jacques Kruyswijk 73 74, Chris Swanepoel 78 69, Henk Alberts 72 75, JG Claassen 73 74, James Kamte 71 76, Jacques Blaauw 75 72, Lindani Ndwandwe 79 68
148 - Blanche Lamprecht 78 70, Kenneth Dube 72 76, PH McIntyre 72 76, Stefan Engell Andersen (KEN) 74 74, Ockie Strydom 73 75, Grant Muller 74 74, Juan Langeveld 73 75, Daniel Hammond 76 72, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 69 79, Gregg Upton 70 78, Morne Buys 72 76, Derik Ferreira 73 75, Dawie Van der Walt 75 73, Riekus Nortje 74 74
149 - Kyle Stevens 71 78, Hendrik Buhrmann 74 75, Colin Nel 76 73, Jake Redman 75 74, Teboho Sefatsa 76 73, Johan Bekker 73 76, CJ du Plessis 76 73, Christiaan Basson 73 76, Daniel Greene 76 73, Attie Schwartzel 74 75, Dean O'Riley 79 70, JP van der Walt 76 73
150 - Paul Bradshaw 76 74, Le Roux Ferreira 75 75, Ryan Thompson 75 75, Grant Veenstra 74 76, John Bele 76 74, Zuko Sangqu 77 73
151 - Greg Bentley (ZIM) 74 77, Duane Keun 75 76, Micky Hough (ZIM) 75 76, Bryce Easton 76 75, Bennie van der Merwe 72 79
152 - Torben Baumann (GER) 77 75, Steven Ferreira 74 78, T I Mazibuko 72 80
153 - Brett Liddle 76 77, Vaughn Groenewald 79 74, Nelson Mudanyi (KEN) 76 77, Mikhail Tewary 74 79, Francois Coetzee 77 76, Brandon Detweiler (USA) 76 77, Tyrone Ferreira 74 79, Callie Swart 77 76, Coenie Stoop 77 76
154 - Andre Cruse 80 74, Joshua Cunliffe 82 72
155 - Ruan Huysamen (NAM) 79 76, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 77 78, Arthur Horne (SWZ) 76 79, Yubin Jung 77 78, Thabo Maseko 78 77, Jonathan Raphunga 72 83, Sergio Dias 80 75
156 - Raymond Mathonsi (SWZ) 78 78, Bradley Sinnett 79 77, James Wade 81 75, Thabang Simon 78 78, Michael du Toit 79 77, Louis Calitz 73 83, Chris Erasmus 75 81, Graham van der Merwe 76 80, Mark Mahoney 80 76
157 - Sipho Bujela 78 79
158 - Stuart Clark (WAL) 79 79, Jean-Paul Strydom 80 78
159 - Wandile Gininda 77 82, Nic Henning 74 85
160 - Ben Fouchee 80 80
163 - Beyers Smith 83 80
WD - Thomas Lovett 84
He reached the halfway mark at Royal Cape Golf Club on a total of 10-under-par 134, with Tjaart van der Walt and Omar Sandys on six-under-par. Jared Harvey, Justin Harding, Desvonde Botes and Allan Versfeld were another two shots back on 140.
Otto, who has 12 Sunshine Tour titles to his name, used all that experience to his advantages as he went round the 6,260-metre course without dropping a shot – a feat all the other players in the field would have paid dearly for.
"It’s about where you feel comfortable," said Otto of the fact that he has played Royal Cape so many times before.
"Some guys feel comfortable on the golf course and always play well there.
"They said the wind was going to pick up and it did.
"There was nearly a four-club wind at one stage," said Otto of that treacherous stretch.
He started his round on the 10th, and didn’t make a birdie until he reached the 16th – and then he made three in a row, and another after the turn on the second, for good measure.
Crucially, he had negotiated 13, 14 and 15 without dropping a shot, and those holes were to prove the nemesis of many further down in the pack during a breezy second round.
To have opened up that lead ahead of a weekend when the wind is expected to blow throughout is going to be important as he pushes for victory.
"It all depends on what happens to the guys behind me," he said,
"And the wind could blow even harder tomorrow and that will be a very good test then.
"I’m playing well and just trying to take it day by day and see what happens."
Van der Walt and Sandys had seven bogeys between them – three for Van der Walt and four for Sandys – and that made keeping Otto within striking distance was made more difficult for them when the weekend’s play starts.
In the end, Otto’s four-under was matched only by Ruan de Smidt, Gert Myburg and Ulrich van den Berg, whose 68 was spoiled by a bogey-bogey finish which left him eight shots off the lead and very frustrated.
In the BMG Classic two weeks ago, Van den Berg got the better of Otto.
"Ulrich just played better than I did on the final day, and there is nothing you can do about that kind of situation," said Otto.
It’s going to take a superhuman effort this week.
"The last couple of months I’ve played well," said Otto.
"I’m just trying to take it day by day and see what happens."
Scores (RSA unless specified):
134 - Hennie Otto 66 68
138 - Tjaart van der Walt 69 69, Omar Sandys 67 71
140 - Jared Harvey 70 70, Justin Harding 71 69, Desvonde Botes 69 71, Allan Versfeld 70 70
141 - Bradford Vaughan 70 71, Jbe' Kruger 69 72, Ross Wellington 71 70, Doug McGuigan 70 71, JJ Senekal 71 70, Heinrich Bruiners 72 69, Michael Hollick 69 72, Anthony Michael 68 73
142 - Drikus Bruyns 72 70, Justin Walters 69 73, Jake Roos 70 72, Wynand Dingle 70 72, Trevor Fisher Jnr 71 71, Ulrich van den Berg 74 68, Charl Coetzee 71 71, Mark Williams 72 70
143 - Derick Petersen 72 71, Titch Moore 73 70, Alan McLean (SCO) 72 71, Divan Gerber 71 72, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 73 70, Johan de Beer 71 72, Andrew Curlewis 70 73, Adrian Ford 71 72
144 - Clifford Howes 69 75, Peter Wilson (ENG) 69 75, Mark Murless 73 71, Lyle Rowe 69 75, Peter Karmis 68 76, Ryan Tipping 71 73, Wallie Coetsee 73 71, Reggie Adams 69 75, Ryan Strauss 75 69, Johan du Buisson 71 73, Tyrone Mordt 69 75, Prinavin Nelson 72 72
145 - Stuart Smith (BOT) 70 75, Makgetha Mazibuko 70 75, Neil Schietekat 71 74, Warren Abery 71 74, Keith Horne 70 75, Steve Surry (ENG) 72 73, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 70 75, Jacquin Hess 72 73, Ruan de Smidt 77 68, Alan Michell 72 73, Oliver Bekker 74 71, James Kingston 69 76, Anton Haig 71 74, Theunis Spangenberg 74 71, Dean Burmester 72 73
146 - Maritz Wessels 70 76, Drikus van der Walt 69 77, Kevin Stone 72 74, Danie van Tonder 70 76, Martin du Toit 73 73, Shaun Smith 71 75, Pieter Moolman 73 73, Desne van den Bergh 74 72, Erik van Rooyen 70 76, Jean Hugo 72 74, Keenan Davidse 72 74, Shaun Norris 71 75, Alex Haindl 75 71, Matthew Carvell 73 73, Gert Myburgh 78 68
Missed the cut:-
147 - Tyrone Ryan 75 72, Jacques Kruyswijk 73 74, Chris Swanepoel 78 69, Henk Alberts 72 75, JG Claassen 73 74, James Kamte 71 76, Jacques Blaauw 75 72, Lindani Ndwandwe 79 68
148 - Blanche Lamprecht 78 70, Kenneth Dube 72 76, PH McIntyre 72 76, Stefan Engell Andersen (KEN) 74 74, Ockie Strydom 73 75, Grant Muller 74 74, Juan Langeveld 73 75, Daniel Hammond 76 72, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 69 79, Gregg Upton 70 78, Morne Buys 72 76, Derik Ferreira 73 75, Dawie Van der Walt 75 73, Riekus Nortje 74 74
149 - Kyle Stevens 71 78, Hendrik Buhrmann 74 75, Colin Nel 76 73, Jake Redman 75 74, Teboho Sefatsa 76 73, Johan Bekker 73 76, CJ du Plessis 76 73, Christiaan Basson 73 76, Daniel Greene 76 73, Attie Schwartzel 74 75, Dean O'Riley 79 70, JP van der Walt 76 73
150 - Paul Bradshaw 76 74, Le Roux Ferreira 75 75, Ryan Thompson 75 75, Grant Veenstra 74 76, John Bele 76 74, Zuko Sangqu 77 73
151 - Greg Bentley (ZIM) 74 77, Duane Keun 75 76, Micky Hough (ZIM) 75 76, Bryce Easton 76 75, Bennie van der Merwe 72 79
152 - Torben Baumann (GER) 77 75, Steven Ferreira 74 78, T I Mazibuko 72 80
153 - Brett Liddle 76 77, Vaughn Groenewald 79 74, Nelson Mudanyi (KEN) 76 77, Mikhail Tewary 74 79, Francois Coetzee 77 76, Brandon Detweiler (USA) 76 77, Tyrone Ferreira 74 79, Callie Swart 77 76, Coenie Stoop 77 76
154 - Andre Cruse 80 74, Joshua Cunliffe 82 72
155 - Ruan Huysamen (NAM) 79 76, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 77 78, Arthur Horne (SWZ) 76 79, Yubin Jung 77 78, Thabo Maseko 78 77, Jonathan Raphunga 72 83, Sergio Dias 80 75
156 - Raymond Mathonsi (SWZ) 78 78, Bradley Sinnett 79 77, James Wade 81 75, Thabang Simon 78 78, Michael du Toit 79 77, Louis Calitz 73 83, Chris Erasmus 75 81, Graham van der Merwe 76 80, Mark Mahoney 80 76
157 - Sipho Bujela 78 79
158 - Stuart Clark (WAL) 79 79, Jean-Paul Strydom 80 78
159 - Wandile Gininda 77 82, Nic Henning 74 85
160 - Ben Fouchee 80 80
163 - Beyers Smith 83 80
WD - Thomas Lovett 84
