– Let’s start with the important stuff. Ernie Els (-8) has made the cut at the NTT Data Pro Am on the HotelPlanner Tour. Magic. 56 years old. Moreover, not only will he play the third and final round of the tournament, but he also has the license to think about something even bigger. Victory seems far, but it cannot be ruled out. He is five shots behind the leader MJ Daffue (-13). Incredible. The cliché of ‘once a great, always a great’ falls short with this gentleman. Big Easy. Big golfer.
– As we say, the leader is Daffue, but it’s really impossible to determine exactly how the tournament stands. Or rather, there’s no way to predict how the second round might end. Bad weather continues to affect the tournament at Fancourt Golf Estate and today there was a five-hour suspension. That is, half of the players have not finished their round. Some, in fact, have only played three holes.
– Play will resume early tomorrow morning, the second round will be completed, and an attempt will be made to play the third and final round. Some are in for quite a marathon. Lucky are those who have already finished, like Daffue, Hunter Logan, and Deon Germishuys, who are two shots behind at -11, or Louis Albertse and Casey Jarvis, who are three shots behind at -10.
– The highest-ranked players with holes still to play to complete the second round are Kieran Vincent and Benjamin Follett Smith, both at -10 with 12 holes remaining, and JJ Senekal, who is at -9 with only three holes played. In short, anything can still happen.
– The chaos, obviously, has also caught the Spanish golfers. Adri Arnaus (-8) and Albert Boneta (-7) are the best placed with their rounds already finished. It can be said they might have a small chance tomorrow, but it’s still too early to predict because it’s unknown if the final lead with 18 holes to go will stay at -13 or go even further. In any case, with the current scenario, the chances of winning are very limited. They would need to deliver an outstanding final round.
– Lucas Vacarisas (-4) has also finished, and we’ll see if he makes the cut, depending on how play goes tomorrow morning. Right now, the cut is at -4, but it could be -5 if play is very good. Those who definitely won’t play the third and final round are Pablo Ereño (-1), Víctor Pastor (-1), Joel Moscatel (PAR), and Asier Aguirre (+4).
– Meanwhile, those who still have all the room in the world to make things happen are Alfredo García Heredia (-3), who still has 12 holes left, Borja Virto (-3), who has only played three, and Javier Barcos (PAR), who still has nine holes to go.
– The final round will be played on the Montagu course, the toughest of the two courses. That’s precisely where Ernie Els shot 67 today. Magic. Big Easy.
