Frenchman Victor Dubuisson emerged from a lengthy late afternoon lightning delay clearly still in command with a two-shot lead on day two of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City in South Africa.
Dubuisson, 27 had just birdied the 15th to move three strokes ahead of the field at seven-under when play was halted.
The double Tour winner returned from the two-and-a-half hour stoppage to par both his 16th and 17th holes but dropped a shot at the last in an eventual two-under par 70 for a six-under tally on the Gary Player designed course.
“The driver here is the key if you want to play well, and yeah, today I didn’t miss many fairways, maybe one or two, and I played very solidly in the wind,” he said.
“I came here this week 73rd on the Race to Dubai so the goal this week first to win and also to get myself in the top-60 because it’s been five years in a row that I’ve played the Dubai final.”
Victor Dubuisson on his way to a two shot lead on day two of the lightning interrupted second day of the Nedbank Challenge. (Photo – European Tour/Getty)
Two players – South African Darren Fichardt (69) and England’s Lee Westwood (70) – share second place at four-under.
Westwood has superbly put himself in frame for a first victory in over two years in recording a second straight score of 70.
The 44-year old Englishman’s round included six birdies and four bogeys, and on a course where he has won twice before.
Westwood won a second of three Sunshine Tour title on the Sun City course with his runaway eight-shot success at the 2010 Nedbank Golf Challenge while he successfully defended his title a year later.
And Westwood is clearly relishing thoughts of a third Nedbank title and what also would be a 24th European Tour victory and a 44th win worldwide in his 24th year in the pro ranks.
“Experience is everything around this golf course as there’s some pins that you just can’t go at and you have to play away form.,” he said.
“When you miss them, you realise you’ve made a mistake with your course management.
Victor Dubuisson stares down a shot during his second round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge. (Photo – European Tour/Getty)
“I’ve been coming here since 1998 and played it a lot and been successful around the course so the harder the conditions, the better it will be for me over the course of the week.”
Fichardt, 42 earlier this year captured a fifth Tour success earlier this with victory in the Joburg Open and with all but three of Pretoria-born golfer’s 20 pro career wins having been on the Africa continent.
His second round included four birdies and just the one dropped shot.
Fichardt, and in a bizarre twist, was the very last player into the field and only learning very late on the eve of the event he would be teeing-up in the $US 7.5m tournament thanks to withdrawals.
“I was probably the most bitter person in South Africa on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, because I really, really am playing well and it was just a shame I wasn’t getting into these events,” he said.
“So unfortunately for Matthew Southgate and Anthony Wall, but fortunate for me, they had to pull out, and it gave me an opportunity to give it a crack.
“That’s just how the game those. I have an opportunity to play this tournament, and I love this track. My game is really where I want it to be.”
Current European No. 1 Tommy Fleetwood again failed to make an impression adding a two-over par 74 to his opening 73 to be just inside the top-40 at three-over par.
Fleetwood’s second round was a sour cocktail of three birdies but also five bogeys as he seeks to take full advantage of the absence of Justin Rose, and his nearest Race to Dubai rival.
And illness forced American Peter Uihlein to withdraw ahead of the second round and with fears now, at No. 56 on the Race to Dubai, the 28-year old could miss out qualifying among the top-60 who will head to next week’s season finale.
