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Ken Borland



Entertaining Aphibarnrat claims early share of lead 0

Posted on January 09, 2015 by Ken

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat provided plenty of entertainment for the Sun City spectators as he claimed an early share of the lead in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club on Thursday.

Aphibarnrat played the first five holes in three-under-par, with four birdies and a bogey, while those hoping for a first South African winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge since Trevor Immelman in 2007, will be heartened by George Coetzee’s start, the debutant claiming birdies on the first three holes to take a share of the lead.


UPDATE:

Fisher masterclass: Nedbank Golf Challege update


The opening holes of the European Tour event held few worries for the golfers as Joost Luiten, Dawie van der Walt, Stephen Gallacher and Danny Willett were all on two-under-par.

Van der Walt, in the field by virtue of winning the 2013 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, made the fastest start of all by birdieing the first hole and then chipping in for eagle on the 520m par-five second, but could not pick up any more shots on the next three holes, dropping a stroke on the par-three fourth after finding the greenside bunker and then leaving his chip way past the hole.

Thomas Bjorn, the defending champion, started where he left off last year in his brilliant final-round 65, by birdieing the first hole.

South African Tim Clark, who teed off in the first group, set the early pace with birdies at the first two holes, but he then lost his way with a bogey at the fifth and a double-bogey at the tricky par-four eighth.

Aphibarnrat, a Sun City rookie, showed that he had all the information he needed on the Gary Player Country Club course as he started birdie-birdie, but Coetzee stayed in contact thanks to some precision iron play.

The conditions at Sun City were close to perfect, a slight breeze helping to offset the heat, and the golfers took advantage with a dozen already under par as the first group reached the turn.

http://citizen.co.za/286548/coetzee-stays-in-sun-city-hunt/

Grace shrugs off his mistakes 0

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Ken

by Ken Borland 21 January 2012, 18:26

 

Branden Grace knew there would always be chances for bogeys on Saturday, but he put his mistakes behind him and held on to a share of the lead after the third round of the Volvo Golf Champions at the Fancourt Links on Saturday.

On a day when only 10 of the 35-man field were under-par and there were two quadruple-bogeys and five triple-bogeys, Grace’s two-over-par 75 was actually a solid round and it left him on 10-under overall, tied with Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts for the lead.

Grace started badly with two bogeys on the first three holes and he also made two double-bogeys on the back nine, on the par-four 12th and par-three 17th holes. But he also picked up four birdies and he was satisfied with his efforts on a rainy, blustery day in the Southern Cape.

“I always knew there’d be mistakes on the card, but I still played really well because the conditions were really tough. I handled it well and made some good saves to limit the damage,” Grace said after his round.

“I actually thought it was very good golf on the first five holes, I just missed one shot, when I mis-hit an eight-iron. Otherwise, I striped my drive on the first and unluckily it bounced into the pot bunker.

“The same again on 12, it was a great drive but it just had a big bounce right on one of the slopes and it ended up in a pot bunker. It makes the hole very long because you can’t really hit the ball a long way then, you have to go sideways and it leaves you with a very long club in.

“On 17, I just went for it a little bit more than I should have, I hit it a bit too hard and I was over the back of the green, which you don’t want to play with,” Grace explained.

But the 23-year-old didn’t allow the mishap to get him down and he promptly birdied the last hole to ensure he will go into the final round with a fabulous chance of pulling off back-to-back victories after his breakthrough triumph in last weekend’s Joburg Open.

“I’m still happy, I’m still in there. I’ll take two-over today and I’ll just stick to my own game tomorrow,” Grace said.

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  • Thought of the Day

    Ephesians 4:15 – “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

    “When you become a Christian, you start a new life with new values and fresh objectives. You no longer live to please yourself, but to please God. The greatest purpose in your life will be to serve others. The good deeds that you do for others are a practical expression of your faith.

    “You no longer live for your own pleasure. You must be totally obedient to the will of God.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm

    The goal of my life must be to glorify and please the Lord. I need to grow into Christ-likeness!



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