Richie O’Donovan is in a tie for 39th after taking a backwards step on day two of the Sunshine Tour’s Blue Label Challenge at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.
Played over the Gary Player and Lost City Courses in a modified stable format, the Lucan native lay tied for 10th after amassing nine points in round one at, but a round-two total at the more difficult Gary Player Course of -1 saw him slide back to midfield though safely inside the cutline.
Opening rounds have been an issue for O’Donovan of late, so yesterday’s five-birdie haul was a welcome return to form and another good return on day two would give him an opportunity to play aggressively over the final two rounds in a format that rewards eagles more than it penalises double bogeys.
Bogeys at one and two left him chasing early, and a third of the day at the fifth saw him drop three points before a first birdie arrived at eight. With birdies worth two points, he was down just one for the day, but another bogey at the ninth saw him make the turn in minus two points.
One more birdie and one more bogey awaited on the back side, and he’d post a score of minus one, dropping from nine to eight points and sliding back down the leaderboard.
South African Luca Flippa holds a four-point lead at the top after posting 14 points on day one at Lost City and backing it up with a further 16 in round two at the Gary Player Course. Just the one bogey, with 13 birdies and an eagle saw him hit the front. The round of the week so far came from Ryan Van Zelden who made two eagles at Lost City – worth five points each – and six birdies with a lone bogey to post a 20-point total in round two and move into second place on 26.
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