JOHANNESBURG – Sweden’s Alexander Bjork and Scot Scott Jamieson share the halfway lead in the Tshwane Open on 10-under-par 132, but as Thomas Aiken addressed his golf ball on the tee at Pretoria Country Club’s 323-metre par-4 seventh hole the adrenaline was pumping hard through his veins.
The reason for the South African’s heightened state of mind was that he was well aware that he needed three closing birdies to shoot a magical 59, one of the greatest feats in golf.
“Breaking 60 for the first time in my career was definitely on my mind,” said the 33-year-old who had started his day at the 10th hole, and was a remarkable nine-under-par through 15 holes, thanks to nine birdies and not a single dropped shot up to that point.
“You don’t get too many opportunities to shoot 59 in your career, so I was determined to go for it,” he explained, in the knowledge that the seventh, short par-3 eighth and par-5 ninth are all “birdie-able” holes at Pretoria CC for the top players.
But, so fired up was he, that he hit his putt for birdie on the seventh green too aggressively and then missed the less-than-comfortable-length return to make bogey. He did birdie No 8, his deuce there set up by a peach of a tee-shot, and did well to par the ninth in spite of hitting his second shot into the water beside the green.
So, no 59. But he did sign for a fabulous 62 which technically is a course record since the par this week is 71, unlike in previous years when it was 70 – as was the case in 2015 when Jacques Blaauw breezed his way to a 61.
In any event, Aiken’s birdie blitz puts him right back in the mix in this R16,5-million event following a disappointing 72 on day one. The three-time winner on the European Tour and 12-time champion on the Sunshine Tour is eight under for the tournament, on 134 alongside compatriot Peter Karmis, and just two back of Bjork (65-67) and Jamieson (67-65) on 132.
England's James Morrison, a late finisher, is lying just one off the lead on 133, following rounds of 67 and 66.
“It helps when the putts go in like they did today,” said Aiken. “Yesterday nothing would drop and I got frustrated and started hitting poor shots. That three-putt at seven? Well, I had to give it a chance and I wasn’t going to be short. This course, incidentally, may be fairly short but the rough is brutal and I haven’t seen fairways as tight as this anywhere, except for Riviera (in America), so overall I’m really pleased with my round.”
Aiken has 52-year-old veteran South African caddie Basil van Rooyen on the bag who has looped for, among others, Gary Player, Ernie Els,
Retief Goosen, Nick Faldo, Mark McNulty and David Frost – in his many years on tour. Now with Aiken, they seem to have formed a good team.
Bjork said he had a little bit of trouble judging distances on Thursday.
“I guess it was because one, we were playing at altitude (when the ball goes further than normal) and, two, it was quite cold this morning (the ball doesn’t go as far). Anyway, I really played well with six birdies and I’m in a perfect position going into the weekend,” added the Swede who is playing the Tshwane Open for the first time and has his father Mikael caddying for him.
Jamieson said the course being tight and relatively short means that it is not necessary to ‘bomb’ driver off every tee. “It’s more three wood and rescues and long-irons which kind of suits me because I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my driver. Today I hit 16 greens in regulation and if you can do that you’re bound to make some birdies.”
And he certainly did, picking up seven gains against a solitary bogey.
Karmis has posted a pair of 67s to date while fellow South African Garth Mulroy is on 135 with France’s Gregory Havret and Finn Mikko Korhonen.
The home club’s George Coetzee, winner here in 2015, missed the cut on plus 2 as did Darren Clarke (plus 9) and Jaco van Zyl (plus 1). Haydn Porteous, joint overnight leader on 65, slipped to a 72 to be on 137.