Home boy Du Plessis takes second round lead at Pecanwood

Pecanwood resident Hennie du Plessis outduelled his closest rivals to take the sole lead at the midway stage of the $1.5m MyGolfLife Open on Friday.

He fired an eagle three on his third-last hole of the day, the seventh, and despite scoring a bogey five on his final hole, he enjoyed a one-shot lead on an overall 17 under par.

Du Plessis’s seven under 65 around this Hartbeespoort layout was the joint lowest of the day, achieved by 10 other players, including Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal, who was in a three-way tie for second place on 16 under, with countryman Nacho Elvira and Tristen Strydom.

Another low shooter was Richard Sterne, a regular on this course soon after it was opened in the late 1990s, who was one stroke further back on 15 under par.

Both Sterne and Du Plessis would have shot lower had it not been for bogeys late in their rounds.

“It was hard work out there because I had to stay patient,” Du Plessis told sunshinetour.com. “The greens were a bit more tricky. So there was a lot of grinding out there and a lot of patience required. But my game has been good all week and I’m happy with my score.”

But Larrazabal predicted that players would attempt to shoot low at the weekend. “That’s the only strategy.

“This is a tournament where many guys will be shooting low 60s. The course is there for a 59. You have to go out there and make as many birdies as you can and try to reach 30 under par. That’s the number.

“When they told me that on Tuesday I didn’t believe it, but now I believe 30 is a great number to aim for.”