A second-round two-under-par 69 saw Richie O’Donovan climb to T21 on the leaderboard at the midpoint of the Sunshine Tour’s Final Qualifying Stage, one place outside the all-important top 20.
Having rescued his opening effort with a strong back nine at Heron Banks Golf and River Resort, the South Africa-based Lucan professional traded three birdies and a bogey in his opening eight holes, before a double-bogey at the 18th – he started his round on the tenth – brought him back to level par for the day.
He’d card two birdies on the front nine – the par-5 first and par-3 sixth holes – going bogey free to reach the clubhouse at two-under for the day and -1 for the tournament, rising 19 places on the leaderboard and putting him in a great position for an assault on the top 20 over the closing two rounds.
For the second day in succession, low rounds were at a premium on the course which lies just to the south of Johannesburg, with more than half the field lying over par through two rounds.
South African amateur Gerhard Trytsman leads the way on -7, backing his opening round of four-under with a second-round 68, and he enjoys a one-stroke lead over the chasing trio of first-round-leader James Mack from England, and fellow South Africans Sean Cronje and Andrew Williamson, with four players in a four-way tie for fifth at -5.
O’Donovan will begin round three six strokes off the lead in the seventh-to-last group off the first tee, knowing that another effort in red figures will put him in a strong position to repeat the feat of 2020 in earning himself playing privileges for the 2023/24 season.
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