– Dale Whitnell has achieved an extraordinary feat on the second day of the South African Open. The Englishman made two holes-in-one. It was on holes 2 and 12. He is the second to achieve this in the more than 50-year history of the DP World Tour. The first was Australian Andrew Dodt on the second day of the Nordea Masters in 2013, on holes 7 and 11.
– Whitnell started his round in a breathtaking manner. He made a birdie on the 1st, a hole-in-one on the 2nd, and finished with an eagle on the 3rd. Five under par in three holes. Impressive. He signed a round of 63 strokes and yet it wasn’t the best result of the day. That’s what this South African Open at the Durban Country Club is like, birdies come easily.
– The best round of the day was by Dylan Naidoo, a 27-year-old South African golfer who delivered a card of 63 strokes, with eight birdies and an eagle. He started four under in five holes and finished five under in the last four. He has one victory on the Sunshine Tour in 2022.
– Shaun Norris (-14), winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek last December, is the tournament leader after 36 holes. He hasn’t made a single mistake in the two rounds. He leads by one stroke over Naidoo and three over Branden Grace, Andrea Pavan, and Darren Fichardt. Four strokes behind is the 21-year-old amateur Christiaan Maas. Five South Africans among the top six. Anyone surprised?
– Jorge Campillo (-5) and Manu Elvira (-5) are the best Spaniards with the second round yet to be completed, something that will happen tomorrow, Saturday. The Extremaduran scored 70 strokes, a good round, although far from the scores needed this week to be at the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Elvira signed a very good card of 68 strokes without errors. Clean and tidy. However, for now, it’s not enough for the top 30, although there are still 36 holes left to do interesting things.
– Alfredo García Heredia (-2) and Ángel Ayora (-1) seem likely to miss the cut. The Asturian still has some chance with a card today of 70 strokes. The usual cut is three under par, especially considering that play will not be completed today, so the greens should be better tomorrow morning when everything resumes. Ayora, with a bogey on the 9th, his last hole, will have to pack his bags.
– Despite missing the cut, Ayora left one of the best shots of the day, with Whitnell’s permission and his two holes-in-one. He reached the 18th hole in one and left it for an eagle just over a metre away. In fact, he had a chance for an albatross.
