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Ken Borland



Dawson cleans up her game after rocky start to move 2 clear 0

Posted on March 12, 2024 by Ken

GEORGE, Western Cape – Ana Dawson moved two shots clear at the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am at Fancourt on Saturday, managing to clean up her game after a rocky start, posting an excellent three-under-par 69 to move to four-under overall.

With the terrible weather of the opening round clearing, scores were lower at both the Montague and Outeniqua courses on Saturday. Alexandra Swayne also shot a 69 to move to two-under-par alongside Scotland’s Kylie Henry (70) in second place.

Dawson, who led by one after a 71 in the first round, began her round on Montague on Saturday with two bogeys in the first three holes, although she did birdie the par-three second.

The 22-year-old from the Isle of Man was much tidier thereafter, however, not dropping another shot until the par-four 15th. In between, Dawson birdied the sixth, ninth and 11th holes. She then brought a big finish as she birdied the par-four 16th and par-five 18th holes to end the day in prime position going into the final round.

South Africans Kiera Floyd (70) and Cara Gorlei (69) also did well on the Montague course to be tied for fourth on one-under, but there is a new local challenger in contention in veteran Lee-Anne Pace, who won this tournament in 2014 when it was down the road at George Golf Club.

Pace fired a fine 69, with six birdies and three bogeys to join her compatriots on one-under-par. The highlight of her round was an eagle-three on the ninth hole, while she also birdied the sixth and 10th holes. Her only bogey came on the par-four 14th.

Bradbury still perched at the top of Joburg Open leaderboard 0

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Ken

Overnight leader Dan Bradbury kept his perch at the top of the Joburg Open on Friday after the second round, but he was being chased hard by a Frenchman and a quartet of South Africans who stormed up the leaderboard at Houghton Golf Club.

Rookie Bradbury, playing on a sponsor’s invite, backed up his extraordinary 63 on the first day by shooting an excellent five-under 66 on Friday, lifting him to 13-under-par overall. But on another stormy day at Houghton Golf Club, which led to lengthy delays, that lead was under severe threat and the 23-year-old Englishman was probably saved by the weather as the chasing pack could not complete their rounds before darkness fell.

France’s 27-year-old former amateur star Romaine Langasque is six-under through 11 holes to roar to 12-under-par overall, just a shot back, but it is young Casey Jarvis who is really thrilling the home crowds as he is on the same score with four holes to play. Starting on the 10th hole, the 19-year-old from Boksburg has been catapulted into a share of second by a magnificent seven birdies in a row from the 17th hole to the fifth.

Earlier in the day, Houghton Golf Club was burnt up by Christiaan Bezuidenhout (64) and Danie van Tonder (63), who have multiple local titles between them, and who reached the halfway mark on 10-under-par.

They were joined there by compatriot Jbe Kruger, who shot a 67. England’s Nathan Kimsey (-5) and Finland’s Sami Valimaki (-5) are the other golfers on 10-under and they both have a handful of holes to play.

Bradbury bogeyed the second hole but then went on an amazing run of four birdies and an eagle on his next five holes. He also birdied the 10th and 11th holes to go to 15-under, but back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes did kill his momentum.

Those dropped shots could be crucial as Jarvis, Langasque, Bezuidenhout and Van Tonder all had spotless scorecards.

Frustrations of rain put aside as Grace roars up the leaderboard 0

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Ken

The frustrations of Friday’s rain were put aside as the second round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge was completed by noon on Saturday, with South Africa’s Branden Grace roaring up the leaderboard and finishing just one shot off leaders Richard Bland and Luke Donald.

Grace fired a bogey-free five-under-par 67 to climb to seven-under-par, and with none of the first-round leaders able to make much headway in the overcast, damp conditions, the 2017 champion is right back in the mix.

New Zealander Ryan Fox followed up his 64 in the first round with a 74 on Saturday and is now on six-under, tied for fifth place with Rasmus Hojgaard (69).

European Ryder Cup captain Donald, who shot 65 on the first day, was one-over after the front nine, but he went to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies from the 10th to 14th holes. Unfortunately the Englishman three-putted the 18th for bogey to slip back into a share of the lead with countryman Bland, who was excellent on Saturday morning with four birdies and no dropped shots in his 68.

Italian Guido Migliozzi was in third place after his first-round 67, but he tumbled down the leaderboard in spectacular fashion as he dropped six shots on the par-four 17th. The 25-year-old’s drive found the bunker, he laid up but then duffed his wedge onto the rocky shore of the dam, below the stonewall of the green. Instead of taking a drop, he tried to chip it out from between the rocks, but failed to get on to the green, leaving the ball closer to the wall. He then elected to drop but hit the ball straight back into the trouble he had come from. Again he tried to hit it out, but needed two attempts to get on to the fringe of the green from where he two-putted.

Although the sextuple-bogey destroyed his round, Migliozzi is not entirely out of contention on one-under-par, seven shots behind midway through the tournament.

Grace often struggles on the front nine of the Gary Player Country Club and he was probably pleased to par his way through the first eight holes and then birdie the ninth. But the 34-year-old does love the back nine and he played some tremendous approach shots to collect four birdies on the first five holes after the turn.

Malaysia’s Gavin Green produced the most enchanting performance of the second round as he blazed his way to a seven-under-par 65, which lifted him alongside Grace in third place on seven-under. The 28-year-old’s only bogey came on the 18th when he three-putted, but before that he had six birdies and an eagle on the par-five 14th.

Finishing with two bogeys normally against the grain, but worth the risk for Ferreira 0

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Ken

SUN CITY, North-West – Finishing with two bogeys in the last three holes normally goes against the grain for golfers, but the nature of the modified Stableford scoring system means it was worth the risk for Stephen Ferreira and did not cost him the lead at the end of the second round of the Blue Label Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club on Thursday.

Ferreira still posted an excellent 13 points on Thursday, via a five-under-par 67, and he is two points clear of Jbe’ Kruger.

Up until his dropped shots on the par-three 16th and the par-five 18th, the 30-year-old Zimbabwe resident, who plays under the Portuguese flag, was unstoppable with five birdies and an eagle-three, worth five points, on the fifth hole.

“I’m very happy, I felt good today and played really solid golf and sank a few putts,” Ferreira said. “I was aggressive and smart.”

“My first bogey was because I took the wrong club on the par-three and was in the wrong place in the bunker and couldn’t get up-and-down. On the last hole, I had 230 to the flag and had a go because a bogey is only minus-one. It was a risky shot and I didn’t quite pull it off, but in this format, every now and then you have to take a risk.

“But on five I hit a good tee-shot in the middle of the fairway, had 237 to the flag and knew exactly which club to use, a nice floating five-wood to 10 feet and then I made the putt,” Ferreira said.

The runner-up three weeks ago in the SunBet Challenge Wild Coast event said he was grateful for Zambian golfer Madalitso Muthiya bailing him out of a putting problem he had.

“I’ve felt I’ve been playing really good golf but I just haven’t been getting a score, and that’s down to not making putts. We’re all good golfers out here, we all hit the ball well, all hit good irons, so putting is what makes the difference,” Ferreira said.

“My friend Madalitso helped me tweak something small with my putting and now I’m putting nicely.”

Kruger also notched 13 points, via seven birdies, on Thursday, only once landing in trouble when he bogeyed the par-four fourth hole.

First-round leader Brooklin Bailey dropped out of the leadership race as he scored minus-nine on Thursday, with three double-bogeys and just two birdies on his card.

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    1 John 2:5 – “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.”

    James 2:14 – “What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?”.

    Love without action is useless.

    If you love God unreservedly, you will offer your best to him and be willing to serve him wherever he wishes to use you.

    Love has to manifest itself practically.

    “Love requires uplifting and inspirational deeds.

    “How genuine can your love for God truly be if you are aware of a serious need and do nothing to alleviate it?”- Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm



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