By Michael Vlismas.
Caption: Graham van der Merwe. Credit: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour.
Durban (KwaZulu-Natal) – Graham van der Merwe will take a one-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of the Sunbet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya at Mount Edgecombe but is well aware of the chasing pack as he looks to claim a maiden Sunshine Tour title.
Van Der Merwe signed for a 67 at The Woods on Thursday to lead the field on 10 under par. Just one shot behind him are both Nikhil Rama and Pieter Moolman, and two shots back are local favourite Jonathan Broomhead as well as the leading two players on the Courier Guy Order of Merit – Samuel Simpson and Austin Bautista.
But Van Der Merwe achieved exactly what he set out to do in the second round.
“Today, I just wanted to keep things steady. I didn’t want to over commit to anything, and I didn’t want to make silly mistakes. It seemed to work out. I was very patient waiting for the birdies and they came when they needed to come. I am happy with the round. I would’ve taken it if you gave it to me this morning,” Van Der Merwe said.
“There are a lot of players around me, so I will have to me more aggressive in the final round. I know the boys are going to push hard, so I will just stick to my game and try and push where I need to push without trying to go for anything to silly.”
For Rama in particular, this is familiar territory as he was also in contention for the recent Sunbet Challenge Wild Coast Sun before finishing in second place.
“I started with a bogey but made eight birdies after that and got myself back in it. Unfortunately, on the last hole I made a bogey again. I hit the ball really well and I am happy with where I am with my game. Everything is feeling pretty good at the moment. I am looking forward to the battle in the final round. I got myself into contention again, and hopefully this week’s outcome can be a little different. Hopefully I can get over the line, but we’ll see,” Rama said.
“There are a lot of players around me, so I will have to me more aggressive
in the final round. I know the boys are going to push hard,
so I will just stick to my game and try and push where I need to push
without trying to go for anything to silly.”
– Graham van der Merwe.