Matters stay tight at Origins of Golf ahead of the weekend

KNYSNA NEWS - Heading into moving day on Saturday 4 November, Rhys West has found himself atop the leaderboard at the 2023 Vodacom Origins of Golf final, held at Pezula Championship Course this week. He holds a tight one-shot lead as things stay close going into the last two days.

West, who hails from Johannesburg, was on fire on the greens yesterday.

Following his first round 69 he bought himself a brand new putter, and made sure to put his new club to expert use around Pezula in the second round on Friday.

A six-under-par round of 66 elevated him to nine under par to hold a one-stroke lead over Neil Schietekat and Stuart Krog who lie tied for second at eight under.

Schietekat carded a one-under 71 while Krog carded a 68.Rupert Kaminski fought his way into contention with a one-under 71 to head into the final 36 holes on seven under par and two off the lead.

No less than three Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals also made the cut to reach the weekend in what has been a first in the history of this series where they have competed alongside the Sunshine Tour professionals in the same event for the same prize money.

Wind gusts heavily influenced matters on the first day, with those handed early morning tee times enjoying far more pleasurable conditions before the wind took off in the afternoons.

This ultimately meant that West relied heavily on his short game on Friday – in particular his putting. "I bought another putter the day before. It’s the same putter as my old one. The shaft on my old putter was bent and we couldn't fix it, so I just decided to buy a new one and the feel just started coming back," said West, who started his round at the 10th and was already five under at the turn before he added three birdies and two bogeys on his second nine.

"I think the big thing is confidence. I’ve had a couple of good finishes and it’s just helped with confidence. I haven't changed anything drastically in my game. It's just short game and confidence," he said. West will be hoping to see a repeat of this during the weekend. "It's all weather dependent really. I can’t really push too hard or overpower a golf course. It’s just about thinking my way around and keeping my course management together. I’ll just keep playing the course the way it’s being presented."

Zethu Myeki is the leading Sunshine Ladies Tour professional ahead of the final two days. Myeki scored a 68 on Friday that lifted her to five under par. Tara Griebenow and Brittney-Fay Berger also made it through to the weekend. Griebenow signed for a second round of 75 for a 36-hole total of one under par, while Berger added a 74 that places her on one over par, with the cut falling on two over.

Rupert Kaminski lies fourth, two shots off the lead.