Tshwane Open, 3 Rounds Completed. 4 Tied at the Top.

After three rounds of the weather interrupted  inaugural Tshwane Open, there are four players tied at the top of the leaderboard at the Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate, in South Africa.

Darren Fichardt / Getty Images

Darren Fichardt, the first round leader of the Tshwane Open, finished day three with a hat-trick of birdies to be part of a four-way tie for the lead. Darren rejoined the leaders with a brilliant third round of -8 under par, 64 and a tournament total of -16 under par.

Darren said he had been upset by his poor second round, and was determined to catch up with the leaders;

” I was upset with yesterday’s round and I fell back to four behind. I wanted to catch that up and get into the mix for tomorrow. I’m just hitting the right shots at the right time and making crucial putts. If I do hit a bad shot I recover from it and that’s what adds up to good scores, so I’m very happy with my game right now.”

Tied with Darren at -16 under par are; Charl Coetzee, Dawie Van Der Walt, all South Africans, and Mark Tullo from Chile. Mark looks to be the only foreign player who could upset an all African top three finish. There is always a chance that American Peter Uihlein could also make a last round charge, he is currently alone in fifth position at -14 under par.

Dowie thinks that making bogies is bad, and you would have to make two birdies just to catch up again;

” It’s good not to make bogies, if you make one then you have to make two birdies to be under par. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day, the course is fairly wide, so it’s really about hitting it close and making some putts.”

Charl has admitted that it is tough to be a front-runner, but he is trying to enjoy it;

” This is a new experience for me and I’m loving it, so I’m just trying to enjoy it. Who knows what happens tomorrow? Enjoying it is the most important thing because it keeps me nice and calm, nice and relaxed and I can just focus on what I need to do. I felt like I played really nicely on the back nine, although I felt like the bogies were a little unnecessary.”

With only two shots covering the first five players, tomorrow is going to be a shoot-out. Last man standing with no mistakes will win the inaugural title, Tshwane Open.

                                      

                                                     

Tshwane Open, Day 2 Play Suspended.

Play was suspended on day 2 of the Tshwane Open at the Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate  in South Africa, due to local and probably dangerous lightning storms.

Charl Coetzee / Getty Images

Charl Coetzee was leading in the clubhouse at -12 under par for his two rounds when play was suspended. Charl has a one shot advantage over Mark Tullo from Chile. The players who have not completed their second rounds are not likely to unseat Charl from his lofty position, while chasing his maiden victory, he  dominated the morning session with a -7 under par, 65 that gave him a four shot clubhouse lead.

Mark Tullo then reduced that gap to one shot with an afternoon round of -6 under par, 66 which was luckily completed just moments before the official klaxon horn was sounded, as the  dark and dangerous clouds rolled in.

Charl said he had enjoyed his day;

” I enjoyed it, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. It’s always nice to play well and it goes both ways, the better you play, the more you enjoy it. I hit the ball nicely and hit a lot of fairways. I also made a lot of greens and made a lot of putts, and that was the key.
There’s a lot of golf left and some of the first-round leaders only teed off now, so we’ve got today and two more rounds. I felt like I’ve started playing better over the last few weeks.”

Mark Tullo said he has been consistently playing  very well;

” I played very well again, I played well from tee to green, putted well and all-around I played very consistently. I’m very happy that I produced such a solid round. That siren sounded just after we finished, and that’s the best thing that can happen to you. To come back here early in the morning is not what you want to do. The tournament starts on the Sunday back nine, and a long as I’m in the hunt come Sunday I’ll be happy.”

There are still two rounds to go, and with a field containing a lot of very good players the final outcome is still very much in the balance, and the hands of the unpredictable weather.

Tshwane Open Rd 1, Darren Fichardt Leads.

Darren Fichardt / Getty Images

Darren Fichardt secured the first round lead as he goes in search of a second European Tour win in as many weeks at the inaugural Tshwane Open, at Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate in South Africa. Darren had a first round of -7 under par 65, and is looking to add to his  African Open victory a couple of weeks ago. Darren also likes the Ernie Els designed course here;

“The swing is good and I’m putting well, this golf course is awesome , it’s very fair. The greens are very soft, so you’re able to attack the flags. I’m happy with seven under to start off with. Right now it’s been eight weeks in a row and I don’t even know what’s going on! I’m just going with the flow and hitting one shot at a time. I’m looking forward to a break. I’ll take it one day at a time and do my best this week.”

In second place is  qualifying school graduate, Sweden’s Bjorn Åkesson, shooting a round of -6 under par 66, he said afterwards;

“I got off to a great start with two birdies through the first three, back nine I kept playing really good and made a lot of putts. That’s what you need to do to shoot low scores.”

This is the sixth and final event co-sanctioned between The European Tour and Sunshine Tour on The 2013 Race to Dubai, and so far they have been predominately South African winners. The only exception to this run was the win of   Scott Jamieson at the Nelson Mandela Championship, which was presented by ISPS Handa

The former Ryder Cup star, England’s David Howell, along with countryman Gary Lockerbie,  are accompanied by India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, Chilean Mark Tullo and South African Jean Hugo, all  are two shots off the pace in a share of third. Jeev Milkha Singh said he just loves playing here;

“I love playing in South Africa,  I’ve always had good results and it always gives me positive vibes and good memories when I come back. This year I played the Volvo Champs in Durban and it was my first time back in South Africa after eight years. Every time I wanted to come back there was an event in Asia or Europe and I was missing coming back.  Things have worked out nicely that I’m back here and I love the course. I’m happy with the way I hit the ball and I putted well. When it’s windy and you miss a few greens you need to make some up and downs and that’s what I did. I holed a lot of putts today and I’m happy with the way the round turned out.” 

Joburg Open. Sterne & Fisher to Contest Final Round

Trevor Fisher Jnr / Getty Images

The final round of the Joburg Open will be contested between Richard Sterne and Trevor Fisher Jnr, after their fantastic third round scores elevated them to a five point lead over the field. Both players shot rounds of -4 under par, 68, on the tough East Course to separate themselves from the chasing pack at the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club.

Trevor Fisher Jnr admitted to some nerves out on the course;

” A bit of nerves set in there, you try not to think about the lead, but it’s there in front of you. I was a bit jumpy with the swing and wasn’t waiting at the top, so I hit a few bad shots there. But I came back nicely with a few birdies. It’s just a feeling, and you’ve got to try and feel comfortable out there as much as possible. My last three or four years have been good on the Sunshine Tour. But I need to get to the next level now. It’s been good for me in terms of the stepping stones I’ve taken in the last 10 years. But I’ve stepped on a lot of stones,  I need to get to the top now.”

Charl Schwartzel is one of four players tied in third spot, five shots adrift of the leaders, but he thinks there is still a chance of a win;

” My game is not bad, but it can be a lot better. A bunch of putts didn’t go in, so I hope that clicks tomorrow. If I can go out and get to twenty-something under, then I’ll have a chance.”

Felipe Agular of Chile remains the only player from outside South Africa who has a slim chance to win, he is alongside Jaco Van Zyl and George Coetzee  at -14 under par, and will be five strokes behind at the start of play in the last round.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Jamie Donaldson Wins

Jaime Donaldson / Getty Images

The Abu Dhabi Championship was won by Welshman Jaime Donaldson, giving him his second European Tour Title. Jaime finished at -14 under par for the tournament, just one shot better than  Justin Rose and Thorbjorn Olesen who had to settle at tied for second place with at -13 under par.

Both Justin and Thorbjorn needed to birdie the last to get into a play-off, but they bother managed to miss their respective attempts. Thorbjorn’s effort slid by the hole, while Justin’s attempt from twelve feet lipped out.

Jaime was amazed at the end, believing one of the boys would have birdied the last, and forced a play-off;

” It’s pretty surreal really, I’ve played really good all week although I’ve got away with murder up the last. I thought one of them would hole if not both, but when both putts slipped by it was my week. I’m very happy to be stood here holding the trophy. It’s like buses isn’t it. I played the pro-am on Wednesday and thought the course was too difficult and I had no chance. I thought if I could get a decent finish I would be chuffed.To be holding this trophy is just mad.”

Justin closed the tournament with a -1 under par 71, not what he was hoping for, but his second placed finish was enough to move him back up the World Golf Rankings, regaining fourth spot from Louis Oosthuizen after his win in South Africa last week;

“It was definitely hard work today, for some reason it was hard to see the breaks on the front nine, but I pulled it together really well and felt I got into a really good competitive mode. When I birdied 14 I didn’t realise Jamie had had a hot round. I had actually expected to be one ahead at that point and I was one behind, so every credit to Jamie. I didn’t do a lot wrong. It’s hard to beat yourself up about it. I felt like I brought my best stuff on the back nine rather than the front nine, so that’s encouraging. I don’t think I need to do anything different , just need to keep chipping away and keep swinging well. But was a long, hard week to end up finishing second.”

Thorbjorn said in retrospect he wished he had not tried to reach the green at the sixth hole, from a bad lie;

” I was trying to go for the green but I knew the lie was bad and I tried anyway. Maybe I should have just laid up, but you can always say that after. I tried to make birdies today, and I didn’t make that many unfortunately.”

 

 

 

Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Justin Jogs Along

 

Justin Rose / Getty Images

Justin Rose jogged through the third round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship with a -4 under par round of 68. He now has a two shot lead over the field. Jamie Donaldson is in second place at -10 under par after his third round score of -3 69, he shares second spot with Thorbjorn Olesen.

Thongchai Jaidee is alone in fourth place at -9 under par following his marvelous round of -6 under par, 66. New Zealand’s Michael Campbell is still showing some interest in this tournament, he now at -7 under par, five shots off the pace going into the last round.

Justin was pretty candid with his comments;

“I came here with no expectations, I came here to see where my game is at. Anybody who wins this week, they have beaten the Number One and Number Two in the world. You can say you’ve beaten the best. I believe that any tournament I tee up in I can win.”

Jaime Donaldson had a victory last year in the Irish Open, so far that is his only triumph, but he is feeling confident here;

“I feel pretty good, I played some great recovery shots out there. It was another tough day out there, even though there wasn’t much wind. I couldn’t have really scored much better than that.”

Thorbjorn Olesen won the Sicilian Open last year, and is also full of confidence;

“I won last year and that gave me a lot of confidence, and I had a few second places. So I’m learning in every tournament, and it’s been a really good process the last three years. Hopefully I can make a few birdies tomorrow and make it exciting.”

David Howell, is at -8 under par, his last victory was  in 2006 at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, but has kind of dropped off the radar since then. David commented about his record in this tournament;

 ”I’ve never really played well here, a couple of top twenties I think maybe. But if I can have a great day tomorrow obviously I can post a very good total. I’ve played really consistently for the best part of a year and I’m playing some of the best golf I ever have really. I’m just coming from a low position. It’s hard to fight your way back up there, but I’m doing it bit by bit and a big finish or a win would go a long way to taking me right back to where I want to be.”

I honestly don’t think David, or anyone can catch Justin, with the mood that he is in. He was relegated to fifth in the Official World Golf Rankings by Louis Oosthuizen’s victory in South Africa last week, Justin would take the position back by lifting a title worth €336,725.

 

 

Volvo Golf Champions, Awesome Oosthuizen Wins

Louis Oosthuizen / getty images

Louis Oosthuizen won the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in South Africa at the Durban Country Club on Sunday. He shot an awesome last round 66,  -6 under par, for a -16 under par total, to win by one shot from Scott Jamieson, who could only manage a par round of 72, and watched as the title slipped through his fingers, he finished at -15 under par.

This win is Louis’ sixth European Tour title and one that elevates him to a career-high fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, pushing England’s Justin Rose down to fifth in the world.

In interview Louis said;

” It was a great week, a lot of things happened. It’s a great start to the year, I knew I had to come out and get my name up there. After being five down, to make it up after 12 holes, I was really chuffed about that. I just played really well all day.”

Scott Jamieson had no shame in losing out to a Major Champion, but was annoyed about his double bogey on hole 5:

“Louis is a Major Champion, there’s no shame in losing to him, I gave it my all, but it wasn’t to be. The double bogey was a kick in the teeth, but I had tons of chances and couldn’t take them.”

Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand secured  third place at – 14 under par, closing with a round of 68, with Ireland’s Padraig Harrington also closing with a -4 under par 68, to climb to fourth position on his own at -12 under par for the tournament.

Alfred Dunhill Championship, Charl Schwartzel Wins

 

Charl Schwartzel won the Alfred Dunhill Championship by a massive 12 shots at Leopard Creek Country Club in South Africa. 

Charl Schwartzel / Getty Images

The last round may have been interrupted by thunderstorms, but noting interrupted Charl Schwartzel cruising to an easy victory setting a target of -24 under par. An amazing twelve shots clear of Kristoffer Broberg in second place.

Charl has a remarkable record at this course, which is situated on the border of the Kruger National Park, he won his first European Tour title there in 2004 and has had four runner-up finishes. He said it has always been special for him;

“It’s always been a special place for me, this is where I can almost say my career started and it’s always stayed close to my heart. It’s nice to have continued my form from last week. I was saying a month and a half ago it’s been a pretty disappointing year. Slowly and surely I started to swing the club a lot better, back to how I did when I won The Masters, and I actually got excited to play again. It started at the South AFrican Open and from there got better and better. It’s been a pretty good year now!”

Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, four times a winner on the Challenge Tour last season, finished in second place, after  Grégory Bourdy suffered a double-bogey seven on the final hole.  Grégory had been the main challenger to Charl for the best part of the weekend, but slipped up on the last hole to give Kristoffer the second place on his own. Kristoffer was of course delighted with his first earnings on the European Tour;

“It’s amazing to get off to such a good start in The Race to Dubai in my first season as a European Tour Member and it sets me up pretty good for the new season.”

 

US PGA, TW World Challenge, G-Mac attack

 

Graeme McDowell, G-Mac, attacked the Tiger Woods World Challenge with a super second round of  -6 under par 66 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks in California, at the Tiger Woods World Challenge which is presented by Northwestern Mutual. Graeme  has managed to do a lot of things right this year without actually winning,  but he has created one last chance to fix that right  here after taking a three-shot lead going into the weekend. Just before he was escorted away for a drugs test, Graeme had time to say;

“A good day’s work. I would love to compete and play well this weekend, really to kind of put a little icing on what’s been a mediocre year, despite the fact that I feel like I’ve played some decent golf this year. I really don’t have a lot to show for myself, and this would be a nice way to finish. It’s just been a golf course that’s always fit my eye, great backdrops, nice undulations. It’s just a fun course to play. I just always have fun here. And you know, I think I’m always in a fairly relaxed mood here because I’m off the back of five weeks on the road, and I’m very glad to be back on U. S. soil, you know, which is kind of home soil for me nowadays.”

Graeme intends to take a couple of months off after this tournament, and when asked what he would do with his spare time, he replied;

Try and stay out of the bar as much as possible. December will be very much recharging and relaxing and moving into my new house in Orlando and spending some time with friends and family. And January will be detoxing and practicing and getting ready to do it all again.”

Tied for second place at -6 under par for the two rounds, are Bo Van Pelt, Jim Furyk and Keegan Bradley with Tiger another shot back at -5 under par.

Tournament Host Tiger Woods felt he had played some of his best gold;

“I had a decent warm-up session, but the work I did last night was some of the best I’ve hit the golf ball all year. I just had to come out here and trust it, and when I did, I got into a nice little run there. I just need to do that all 36 holes on the weekend.”

First round leader Nick Watney, who had a 67 on Thursday, fell apart late in his second round, leaving him five shots off the top of the leaderboard;

“Just a terrible way to finish, but we’re only halfway through, so we’ll see if we can make a charge at those guys in the morning.”

Propping everyone else up at the bottom of the table is Aussie Jason Day, perhaps Jason had his mind on the cricket,  South Africa had dismissed Australia for just 163 runs at the WACA Ground.

 

 

 

 

Joburg Open 2nd Round

Highlight of the Joburg second round was Englishman Richard Finch firing a hole in one at the par three 12th. Strangely enough he was not too pleased to achieve the feat, if it had come during the last round it would have earned Richard a million rand for the effort. Finch’s hole-in-one helped him into a share of the lead at the Joburg Open, sharing that position with Robert Rock and  George Coetzee at the tough Royal Johannesburg and Kensington East Course.

Finch said of his hole in one, ”On 12 I looked at the back of the tee and read the board which said there was a million rand available for a hole-in-one in the final round. As my shot landed I turned around and said ‘Oh no!’ because I had hit it on the perfect line.”  ”Some of Darren Fichardt’s family and friends were at the green and they started cheering, so it was clear it had gone in.” ”I made one at Humewood a few years ago during the SA Open. It was sponsored by South African Airways, so I won a million air miles, which was nice.”

Richard was also delighted with his second round effort, ”Starting today at five-under-par was interesting, a few birdies and you’re right up there amongst the lead, but a couple of bogeys and you miss the cut. But I’m delighted with today, I thought some of the pins were really tucked away, so I just tried to be sensible and get it on to the green to give myself a chance. I managed to roll a few in, which was good,”

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