Francesco Laporta will have good friend and fellow Italian Andrea Pavan no doubt in the back of his mind as he seeks to become the first Italian winner of South Africa’s oldest professional golf tournament – the Investec South African Open.
Laporta took advantage of a windstill morning in the Stellenbosch winelands on Friday, signing for a 64 to lead this championship on 10 under par.
The 35-year-old is one shot clear of England’s Nathan Kimsey, who also posted a 65 on the host Stellenbosch Golf Club course.
Dean Burmester leads the South African challenge on eight under par following his second round of 67. And Hennie du Plessis proved just how good the morning conditions were for low scoring when he carded a course record 63 – confirmed by host club in light of their tee box changes for this championship and the enlarged water hazard on 18 – to climb into contention on seven under par.
LAPORTA HAS GOOD FRIEND IN MIND …
Fellow Franceso Laporta (left in ) leads @InvestecSAOpen looking capture maiden @DPWorldTour & with good friend Andrea Pavan in mind as Pavan recovers from freak accident
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— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) February 27, 2026
Laporta spent several years living in Johannesburg and played on the Sunshine Tour before moving back to Italy, and he says his love for South Africa and its people has never left him.
“I like playing in South Africa as it’s been my second home for a long time”, he said.
“This course actually reminds me a lot more of the Johannesburg courses. It’s tough, the fairways are tight and there’s a lot of rough so you have to hit it straight. I like it. I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’m sure the fans will cheer for the South Africans. But South Africans are always fair and it’s always good to play in front of them,” said Laporta.
The closest an Italian has ever come to winning the Investec South African Open was Renato Paratore who finished tied second in 2023. Laporta is hoping his accuracy off the tee, which has been his strongpoint, continues on the weekend to give him a shot at making history.
“My tee shots were good. On this golf course if you hit your tee shots straight you have a lot of opportunities,” he said.
And Laporta was also asked his thoughts about Pavan’s injury.
“Luckily, he is fine, so we are all happy about that”, said Laporta. “That is the most important thing. He can talk, he can walk, he can do many things.
“Yeah, it’s been a tricky few days.
“It was a very bad accident. It was shocking for everyone. I can’t even imagine how it was for him. But we are very happy that he is okay. I am going to see him this afternoon and tomorrow, having also went yesterday. We are trying to offer him all the support we can.”
LEADING SCORES …….
-10 – Francesco Laporta 66 64
-9 – Nathan Kimsey 66 65
-8 – Dean Burmester 65 67
-7 – Hennie du Plessis 70 63
-7 – Joe Dean 65 68, Herman Loubser 66 67
-6 – Rikuya Hoshino 67 67
-6 – Kiradech Aphibarnrat 67 67, Alejandro Del Rey 65 69
