Porteous moves into contention at St Andrews

Just a week after he tied for second at the Carrick Neill Scottish Stroke Play Championship, South Africa’s number two ranked amateur Haydn Porteous joined the battle for glory at the St Andrews Links Trophy in Scotland.

The reigning SA Stroke Play champion opened with a one-over-par 72 on the New Course, but a four-under-par 68 at the Old Course lifted the 17-year-old to a share of third at the halfway point.

Porteous, the French trio of Edouard Espana, Kenny Subregis and Thomas Elissalde and Englishman Callum Shinkwin are just one shot behind behind second placed Jordan Zunic from Australia at four under, but they still has a mountain to climb.

Overnight leader Daan Huizing from the Netherlands bettered his opening 65 with a blistering second round eight-under-par 64 to stretch his lead to 10 shots, effectively leaving his nearest challengers contesting for second place in the 72-hole tournament.

CJ du Plessis was the only other player in the six-man South African squad on tour in Scotland to extend his stay at St Andrews. The Limpopo golfer carded a two over 74 to make the cut, which fell at two-over-par 145, alongside compatriot Brandon Stone, who returned a 76.

Shaun Smith produced a solid back nine and converted for eight pars but his 74 left the Southern Cape golfer just on the wrong side of the cut. Drikus Bruyns, who led the local challenge after an opening one-under-par 70 at the New Course, fell foul of the infamous Old Course bunkers to come home in 78 strokes for a total of 148.

Ekurhuleni’s Gert Myburgh and JP Strydom of the Western Province continued to struggle with the cold and windy conditions, and finished on 152 and 156 respectively.

SA SECOND ROUND SCORES*

(*Round 1, New Course – Par 71; Round 2, Old Course – Par 72):

129 Daan Huizing (NED) 65-64

140 Haydn Porteous 72-68

145 CJ du Plessis 71-74; Brandon Stone 69-76

Missed cut:

146 Shaun Smith 72-74

148 Drikus Bruyns 70-78

152 Gert Myburgh 78-74

156 JP Strydom 79-77

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