Jonathan Caldwell couldn’t keep his first round form going at the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood as he was 11 shots worse on another low-scoring day in South Africa to miss the cut.
The Clandeboye man was sitting just inside the top-20 after a six-under 66 in his first round at Pecanwood Golf & Country Club, but he found things much tougher on Friday as he could only manage a five-over 77.
That still left him under-par for his two rounds, but such was the low scoring in Hartbeespoort that he was five shots off the required mark to secure a weekend tee time.
It’s another missed cut for the 37-year-old, who hasn’t played the weekend at five of his six events this season as he continues to battle through injury and work his way back into contention on the DP World Tour.
It will not be this week, however, and as everyone around him was recording birdies and eagles, the reigning Scandinavian Mixed champion could only manage three birdies while at the same time noting down six bogeys and a double-bogey.
His troubles began as early as his opening hole, the 10th, and he followed it up with bogeys at the 11th and 13th as well to drop him back to three-over.
A birdie did come at the par-four 15th to move him in the right direction, but he immediately went the other way with his double-bogey at the 16th, which already left him too much work to do.
Two more bogeys arrived at the second and third which actually dropped him back to level-par and, although those were cancelled out by back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh, he would finish on a low note by adding one more bogey on the eighth.
At the top, South Africa’s Hennie du Plessis will take a one-shot lead into the weekend after an eagle, six birdies and a bogey led to a seven-under 65 that moved him up to 17-under, edging out fellow countryman Tristen Strydom and Spanish duo Pablo Larrazabal and Nacho Elvira.
“It was hard work out there because I had to stay patient. The greens were a bit more tricky. So there was a lot of grinding out there and a lot of patience required. But my game has been good all week and I’m happy with my score,” said Du Plessis.
Elvira and Strydom have matched each other shot-for-shot, rounds of 62 and 66 taking them onto 16-under, with Larrazabal going one shot better than the pair in his second round with a seven-under 65.
- Full scoring HERE
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