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Ken Borland


Refreshed Horne looking for improvement at Africa Open 0

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Ken

 

Keith Horne was 16-under-par after four rounds in the 60s and shooting 66 and 65 over the weekend in last year’s Africa Open, but that was only good enough for a tie for ninth, and the well-travelled South African believes he can improve on that when the 2015 edition of the co-sanctioned European/Sunshine Tour event gets underway at East London Golf Club on Thursday.

Horne has been a consistent performer in the Africa Open, finishing in ties for 18th, 18th, 21st, 62nd, 32nd and ninth since the tournament moved to East London in 2009, but he is still heartsore over the 75s he shot in the final rounds of 2012 and 2013.

“I’ve played pretty well here before, I’ve been in contention but then I tend to have a bad round somewhere. I was in the top-10 last year, but I feel I haven’t reached my potential yet here because I feel very comfortable on the course,” Horne said at East London Golf Club on Wednesday.

Horne’s Africa Open performance was his best on the European Tour last year, and the 43-year-old admitted he was a bit jaded.

“After five years of playing in Europe and 13 years of travelling as a pro, I felt a bit flat so I didn’t play a full schedule last year. I took a large percentage of the year off and now I feel refreshed and ready, I’m a lot more relaxed,” Horne said.

The seven-time Sunshine Tour winner was born in Durban and grew up on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, so playing in the wind in East London holds no fears for him.

“I’m not as good in the wind as I used to be because I’ve lived in Joburg for the last 13 years, but I grew up on the coast and I have the technique and mind-set to play in the wind. It’s mostly about mental preparation, you can’t fight the wind, you’ve got to use it and accept it,” Horne said.

He has averaged 30.22 putts per round in 2015, putting him 140th in the European Tour rankings, but he is really looking forward to the greens in the Eastern Cape.

“I’m also used to the greens on the coast and the greens here are as good as any coastal greens I’ve seen. They’re the best they’ve been here for the last five or six years, so kudos to the green keeping staff, they’re in magnificent condition. They’re not as slow as they’ve been in the past, they’re rolling beautifully and I think a lot of putts are going to be made,” Horne said.

The father of two daughters will also be campaigning in Asia this year, having finished in 11th place in the Tour Qualifying School in Thailand in January.

“I’m going back, I had good seasons in Asia in 2009 and 2010 and I enjoy it there, more than Europe in fact. But the money’s in Europe … ,” Horne admitted.

The money’s also good in East London, with a prize pool of R14.5 million and a first prize of just over R2 million.

But the East London Golf Club course needs to be overcome first and, especially when the wind blows, it is a short course with many hidden dangers.

“East London seems to bring out the best in our golfers but you can go out and think you’re going to shoot very low, flopping wedges into all the greens, but the course has got teeth. There are birdies out there, but you have to keep double-bogeys off the card. If you take the course for granted, it can really bite you,” Horne said with the benefit of years of experience.

http://www.africaopengolf.com/PressReleases/2015/20-refreshed-horne-hunting-africa-open-glory.pdf

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Category Golf, Sport

Grace doubles lead for Alfred Dunhill Championship record 0

Posted on February 09, 2015 by Ken

It was another very good day for Branden Grace as he doubled his lead after the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek with a 66 that took him to 16-under-par, a tournament record after 36 holes.

Grace led by three after his magnificent 62 on the first day and, even though he was not quite as sharp on Friday, he finished his round six ahead of fellow South African Tjaart van der Walt, whose back-to-back 67s took him to 10-under.

“I’m very chuffed, it was a very good round. It’s always hard after a round like yesterday [Thursday], but I didn’t go out and try and protect my lead, I was out the blocks quickly with birdies on 11 and 13 and I just kept the ball rolling very well,” Grace said after his round, which he began on the 10th hole.

With Nedbank Golf Challenge champion Danny Willett ‘only’ shooting a 69 to go to nine-under-par, Jake Roos struggling through his first five holes level par and Matt Ford two-over-par through five, Grace’s nearest challengers were slipping backwards. The 26-year-old could be forgiven for already breaking out the kegs in celebration and he is confident that he can get the job done and claim his fifth European Tour title and his first since 2012 in the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrew’s.

“I have a good history when I’m leading, at the Alfred Dunhill I was quite a few ahead after two days, so I’ve done it before. I’m just going to stick to what I’m doing and stay patient. On this course, a 10-under could happen again and guys will come at you,” Grace said.

Willett’s tee-shot at the par-three seventh was swallowed by the water to the right of the green, leading to a double-bogey, while another dropped-shot on the par-four 14th also hampered his efforts to eat into Grace’s lead.

Van der Walt, the Texas-based 40-year-old, started on the 10th and picked up four birdies going out, before birdies on the par-four third and eighth holes brought him to within five shots of the leader. But he bogeyed the par-four ninth hole to take some of the gloss off his round.

South African Shaun Norris was another to make a big move up the leaderboard with his 67, which included an eagle on the 18th, taking him to nine-under for the tournament and in a tie for third place with Willett and Lucas Bjerregaard, the Dane who also shot 67.

Charl Schwartzel, the defending champion, slid down off the green into the water on the par-three fifth, the double-bogey he recorded there being the only dropped shots of his round as he posted a 70 that left him on five-under-par, 11 off the pace.

 

http://citizen.co.za/292293/grace-sets-new-alfred-dunhill-championship-record/

Tags:
Category Golf, Sport

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    John 14:20 – “On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

    All the effort and striving in the world, all the good works and great sacrifices, will not help you to become like Christ unless the presence of the living Christ is to be found in your heart and mind.

    Jesus needs to be the source, and not our own strength, that enables us to grow spiritually in strength, beauty and truth.

    Unless the presence of Christ is a living reality in your heart, you will not be able to reflect his personality in your life.

    You need an intensely personal, more intimate relationship with Christ, in which you allow him to reveal himself through your life.

     

     



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