Mansfield clings to Boland Amateur Open lead
It wasn’t quite as special as his flawless 63 in the first round, but KwaZulu-Natal’s Clayton Mansfield did more than enough to maintain his overnight lead in the Boland Amateur Open at Stellenbosch Golf Club in Thursday’s second round.
The Durban Country Club golfer carded a 69 to stay two shots clear of Boland amateur Christiaan Basson on 12-under-par 132.
Mansfield lost the advantage of a birdie start to a bogey at the fourth, but parred his way through the turn to pick up a second birdie at 11. He gave it back at the short 12th, but gains at 14 and 15 got him back into red numbers and a fifth birdie at the par four 17th and par at 18 kept Mansfield in pole position ahead of the chasing pack.
A double bogey at the closing hole cost Basson a share of the lead, but Mansfield could come under real pressure on the final day if Basson catches fire. The Paarl Golf Club player racked up six birdies and eagled the par five eighth to counter a pair of bogeys for his second round 68.
Gerlou Roux from Western Province is five shots off the pace, but always a dark horse that cannot be ignored.
The country’s leading mid-amateur matched Basson’s 68 with an eagle and five birdies to Emilio Pera from Central Gauteng for third at seven under. Pera also produced an eagle at the par five 14th on his way to a two under 70.
Matt Saulez from KwaZulu-Natal carded a 68 to move to fifth at six under and he is one shot clear of Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member Cliffie Thompson from Gauteng North, Free State golfer Therion Nel and Philip Swanepoel from Boland.
ROUND TWO LEADERBOARD (top 20)
132 Clayton Mansfield 63 69
134 Christian Basson 66 68
137 Gerlou Roux 69 68; Emilio Pera 67 70
138 Matt Saulez 70 68
139 Clifford Thompson 70 69; Therion Nel 69 70; Phillip Swanepoel 67 72
140 Darin de Smidt 71 69; Neswill Croy 70 70; Luan Boshoff 70 70
141 Otto van Buynder 72 69
141 Aneurin Gounden 71 70
141 EJ Langner 70 71; Albert Venter 69 72; Uli Boezaart 69 72; Greg Sheard 67 74
142 Tom Watson 70 72; Theunie Bezuidenhout 69 73; Dawid Opperman 69 73; Marco Steyn 69 73
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of GolfRSA, a SAGA and WGSA Not-For-Profit company.