Ken Borland

Even though experienced Francesco Molinari, one of the most consistent golfers on the European Tour, climbed rapidly up the leaderboard with a superb seven-under-par 65, Grace built on his phenomenal opening-day 62 and ended the second round on 16-under-par, with the Italian second on 11-under.

Molinari ensured that there is at least still a window of opportunity for Grace to be challenged over the weekend, with Tjaart van der Walt (-10), Shaun Norris, Danny Willett and Lucas Bjerregaard (all on -9) also not a million miles away.

It would have been well-nigh impossible for Grace to raise the bar on his first-round performance, but he still played wonderful golf as he smashed the record for the lowest 36-hole score at this tournament, his 128 improving on the 131 shot by Pablo Martin in 2009 and by Charl Schwartzel and Gregory Bourdy in 2012.

“I’m very chuffed, it was a very good round. It’s always hard after a round like yesterday [Thursday], it’s so easy to come out and try and protect your score, but I didn’t do that, 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 10^th hole.

While comfortable with leading from the front – his last win was wire-to-wire at the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrew’s in 2012 – Grace warned that there were still plenty of realistic challengers milling around below him on the leaderboard.

“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.

While Grace is a clear favourite to become the fifth South African winner at Leopard Creek, Molinari is a top-class golfer, having previously been as high as 14^th on the world rankings and twice a Ryder Cup winner (2010, 2012), and the 32-year-old took a pragmatic view of his prospects.

“Five shots is obviously still a very good margin, but the greens are firming up nicely and it might be different on the weekend,” Molinari said. “Golf is a strange sport, you do all the right things but you often don’t get the dividends right away. So I work every day of my life, keep trying to improve and just do my best,” Molinari said.

Van der Walt’s 67 was also a marvellous round, marred only by a bogey at the par-four ninth, his closing hole, his putter being the source of much success as he collected six birdies.

“I played well. Leopard Creek is a long golf course for me so I’m not going in with short-irons like some of the other guys, but when I got it on the greens I rolled the putts well. Yesterday and today a couple went in, which kept the momentum going. I’m putting well and if I can get the ball-striking to kick in a bit more then anything can happen at the weekend,” Van der Walt said.

It will obviously take something special, however, to catch Grace, who is playing with the assurance of someone who is enjoying his golf again and feels that he is back to his best.

“I’ve just started enjoying my golf again, I’m playing like in 2012, nice and steady, but it’s going to be two more long days and I just need to push on,” Grace said.

The presence of the in-form Willett in a tie for third place after a 69 that included a double-bogey at the par-three seventh, will no doubt sharpen the mind of Grace.

 http://citizen.co.za/292673/branden-grace-leads-pack-alfred-dunhill-championship/

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 10^th 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 14^th also hampered his efforts to eat into Grace’s lead.

Van der Walt, the Texas-based 40-year-old, started on the 10^th 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 18^th, 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/

The Englishman, a poster-boy for elegant golf, cruised around the Gary Player Country Club course with seven birdies and just one dropped shot – a four on the par-three 16^th.

That bogey came after what he called his “one loose shot”, a tee-shot that went way left of the hole and then perched with a thick tuft of grass behind the ball.

Fisher enjoyed a two-stroke lead over a trio of Nedbank Golf Challenge debutants – South African George Coetzee, Germany’s Marcel Siem and Frenchman Alexander Levy – who all shot four-under-par 68s.

Full report – http://citizen.co.za/286911/nedbank-golf-challenge-first-round/