Lucas Vacarisas (-11) will head into Sunday with a chance of victory at the SDC Open in South Africa. Not bad for the first tournament of the season. The Catalan golfer is in fourth place with 18 holes to go. He is seven shots behind the commanding leader Altin Van der Merwe (-18), the latest major prospect in South African amateur golf.
Vacarisas delivered a very good scorecard of 69 strokes on Saturday during the moving day at Zebula Golf Estates, a course that the HotelPlanner Tour is visiting for the fourth time and is in better condition than ever. At least, more challenging than ever seen before. The fairways have been narrowed and the rough is uneven but punishing. This is why the professionals are not dominating a course that is really short this year. The fairways are very hard, and the balls roll endlessly. It is difficult to keep them on the fairway, but those who do are left with a very short shot.
This explains why hole 15 at Zebula presents the incredible statistics mentioned in the title after 54 holes. Yes, as you read it. There have been 38 eagles, almost 13 per day, 211 birdies, and the cumulative score there is -267 under par. A real bonanza. The ball travels very far, and most players have a two-wedge shot to the green.
Vacarisas is very sharp with the driver this week, and this is one of the reasons he has a chance of victory on Sunday. In fact, only on the par 5s is his score eleven under par, the same as his total. On hole 15, he is at -5 over three days. The chance of victory is relative. He will need to play very well and hope for help from the leader. For now, he is one of only five golfers who have scored under 70 strokes all three days.
Altin Van der Merwe (-18), the reigning African amateur champion, has a four-shot lead over the veteran Frenchman Sebastian Gros (-14) and five over the American Nick Carlson (-13). It’s in his hands. His score on the par 5s is -10, one stroke worse than Vacarisas, but his key this week is the near elimination of errors. He has only made two bogeys in three days. We will see if he can resolve it tomorrow. He has not yet won in professional golf, although he has only played 14 tournaments since turning professional last summer, just after the British. This is his first tournament on the Challenge Tour. It would be a dream start.
As for the other Spaniards, they still have room to achieve important things this week. Albert Boneta (-9), for instance, is not far behind Vacarisas. He is one shot away from the top 10, a magnificent goal for his debut in the HotelPlanner Tour with a card. Adri Arnaus (-6) and Quim Vidal (-6) are also well placed. The top 10 would also be a sensational goal for both. As you know, the Challenge is a long race, and every point can be crucial for being in the DP World Tour next year. Borja Virto (-4) and Sebas García Rodríguez (-2) should think the same way.
