SUNSHINE TOUR REPORT, SCORES

Born-again Hennie Otto goes five shots clear

with a 61 in Vodacom Championship

FROM THE SUNSHIRE TOUR WEBSITE
It took his best-ever round in tournament play to break open the Vodacom Championship field at Pretoria Country Club today and see South Africa Hennie Otto to a course-record 11-under-par 61 and the halfway lead by five shots on 18-under-par 126.
“I played really well. I didn’t hit one bunker today, and that makes a difference on this course.”
What’s also made a difference is Otto’s new approach to his game, and life. Still dogged by injury, Otto does not practice and instead only hits balls to warm up before a tournament.
“I went to the physio before the round because something was messed up in my back again,” he said.
And then there’s the turnaround in his life, sparked by a rebirth of his Christian faith.
“It’s a road I’m walking at the moment. I have a gift, and I’ve realised that,” he said, as he evaluated an astonishing round.
He has carded 63 four times, and when he made an inauspicious start with a bogey on two, it didn’t seem likely that he would be erasing Richard Fulford’s 2005 Pretoria Country Club course record of 63.
But he birdied four, and then had a brilliant run of three birdies and an eagle to turn in five-under 31 to be one off the pace set by Jbe’ Kruger who had finished at 13-under through halfway.
His second nine started with no indication of the brilliance that lay ahead either as he made pars on 10 and 11.
But he birdied 12, made par on 13 and then, when he nearly holed out on 14, he began a run of five birdies on the way home. And he missed making eagle on 18 by a hair’s breadth, too as his 20-footer for eagle on 18 took a tiny bobble and just missed.
“If I’d made that putt on the last, it would’ve been a perfect round,” said Otto.
His round propelled him to a five stroke lead over Kruger and playing partner Thomas Aiken, as well as the best ever 36-hole score on the Sunshine Tour: His 126 halfway total is better than the 2007 mark of 127 set by Jean Hugo in the Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open in 2008.
There was a pair of 65s during the second round, but they went unnoticed as Otto showed just how good he can be: Grant Veenstra and James Kamte each made substantial climbs up the leaderboard with their seven-under rounds – Veenstra to a share of 10th and Kamte to 15th.
But Veenstra finds himself a staggering nine shots behind Otto, and Kamte 11.
Even Aiken, who drew level with Kruger with a six-under 66 – the same as Kruger and six other players in the field – is almost aghast at finding himself so far off the lead despite rounds of seven-under and six-under.
Doug McGuigan finds himself in fourth on 12-under at halfway after his second consecutive 66, while Tjaart van der Walt, first-round leader Branden Grace and Anton Haig share fifth on 11-under.
And Otto is not discounting being chased down: “Even 10 shots is not enough on this course, and with so many players playing well. It will be fun on the weekend, though.”
Only those with 36-hole tallies of 143 or better will qualify for the weekend rounds.
Scot Alan McLean has missed it by at least four shots with scores of 72 and 75 for 147.
SECOND-ROUND LEADING TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
Players from South Africa unless stated
126 Hennie Otto 65 61.
131 Jbe Kruge 65 61, Thomas Aiken 65 66.
132 Doug McGuigan 66 61.
133 Tjaart Van der Walt 67 66, Branden Grace 64 69, Anton Haig 67 66.
134 Mark Murless 66 68, Dawie Van der Walt 68 66.
135 Adilson da Silva (Brazil) 69 66, Grant Veenstra 70 65.
MISSED THE CUT 143 or better qualify.
Selected score:
147 Alan McLean (Scotland) 72 75.