AFRICA OPEN:DEFENDING CHAMPION Louis Oosthuizen shot a brilliant 11-under-par 62 to take a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Africa Open in East London yesterday.
The 2010 British Open champion began the day five shots off the pace, but carded nine birdies and an eagle to move to the top of the leaderboard on 15 under ahead of a quartet of fellow South Africans.
The world number 40 shot five birdies and an eagle over the front nine and added four birdies after the turn, picking up crucial shots on the 17th and 18th.
Overnight leader Thomas Aiken had to settle for a four-under 69 to lie level on 13 under with Tjaart Van Der Walt, Retief Goosen and Jaco Ahlers. Van Der Walt had the best round of the four with a 64, while Goosen and Ahlers went round in 68.
Oosthuizen said: “I was aggressive on the putter. I went about six foot past a few times and I had to make those for par.
“The last one I made on the eighth would have been eight or 10 foot past, but it hit the middle of the cup. But I was aggressive because yesterday I left a few putts short and you’re not going to hit it that far past on these greens.”
On his eagle two on the sixth, where he had a double bogey in round one, he added: “It was a lot of concentration on the tee shot because I hit the three wood in the bush yesterday.
“It was a three wood again off the tee and I didn’t want to take any other club because I wanted to show myself that I can do it.
“So I hit it on the green at the back. I saw the line of the putt, but I wasn’t sure so I asked my caddie and he saw exactly the same line. I hit a perfect putt and it went straight in the middle of the hole, but it was a very long putt.”
Simon Thornton missed the cut mark of five under by just one shot after he bogeyed the ninth, his final hole, in a level-par 73, while Damien McGrane missed out on level par after a one-under 72.
(Irish in bold, British unless stated, par 73)
131 L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 62
133 T Van Der Walt (Rsa) 69 64, T Aiken (Rsa) 64 69, R Goosen (Rsa) 65 68, J Ahlers (Rsa) 65 68
135 C Lee 68 67, M Carlsson (Swe) 69 66, T Fleetwood 69 66, A Forsyth 69 66, D Willett 67 68
136 R Bland 67 69, B Barham 70 66, T Ferreira (Rsa) 68 68, K Horne (Rsa) 69 67, J Van Zyl (Rsa) 71 65, M Baldwin 72 64
137 S Walker 69 68, J Cunliffe (Rsa) 69 68, D Howell 68 69, S Norris (Rsa) 67 70, T Sluiter (Ned) 68 69, J Campillo (Esp) 71 66, P Price 66 71
138 JB Gonnet (Fra) 71 67, A Da Silva (Bra) 69 69, A Gee 69 69, S Hutsby 73 65, G Muller (Rsa) 69 69, K Borsheim (Nor) 70 68, T Remkes (Ned) 68 70, J Senekal (Rsa) 67 71, P Karmis (Rsa) 68 70, R Sterne (Rsa) 69 69
139 M Bremner (Rsa) 69 70, N Cheetham 71 68, O Wilson 70 69, D McGuigan 70 69, E Grillo (Arg) 73 66, W Besseling (Ned) 69 70, O Strydom (Rsa) 70 69, B Easton (Rsa) 69 70, J Blaauw (Rsa) 70 69, A Domingo (Esp) 68 71, G Coetzee (Rsa) 71 68, R De Smidt (Rsa) 69 70, A Versfeld (Rsa) 69 70, A Marshall 74 65, A Canete (Arg) 71 68, C Russo (Fra) 67 72
140 T Moore (Rsa) 74 66, D Botes (Rsa) 69 71, C Wood 69 71, G Mulroy (Rsa) 68 72, B Grace (Rsa) 77 63, E Dubois (Fra) 69 71, M Lafeber (Ned) 67 73, A Pistorius (Rsa) 71 69, S O’Hara 70 70, J Quesne (Fra) 69 71, D Van Der Walt (Rsa) 70 70, JG Claassen (Rsa) 68 72, D Van Tonder (Rsa) 70 70, A Tadini (Ita) 70 70, P Archer 73 67
141 J Kingston (Rsa) 70 71, S Pinckney (USA) 69 72, J Elson 70 71, A Georgiou (Rsa) 75 66, J Garcia (Esp) 68 73, H Buhrmann (Rsa) 72 69, L Rowe (Rsa) 73 68, W Abery (Rsa) 71 70, V Groenewald (Rsa) 73 68, D O’Riley (Rsa) 66 75, J Moul 70 71, A McLean 70 71, M Nixon 70 71, D Fichardt (Rsa) 71 70, D Drysdale 72 69, J Walters (Rsa) 73 68, R Saxton (Ned) 71 70
Failed to make the cut:
142 Simon Thornton 69 73.
146 Damien McGrane 74 72.
