CAPE TOWN
– Peter Karmis backed up his opening 63 with a flawless six-under 66 second round
at the Cape Town Open on Friday to usurp JP Strydom from the summit of the leaderboard
on 15-under for a two-stroke lead.
Karmis, a runner-up at last season’s event held at
King David Mowbray, due to the water challenges faced at Royal Cape,
opened his second round with back-to-back birdies to set the tone.
Those were followed by another birdie on the fifth after
he’d picked up pars on the third and fourth holes respectively.
He held things steady on the final four holes of his front
nine, making three straight pars before making further gains on the ninth to
turn in 32.
“Today was a lot more difficult than yesterday,” Karmis
noted after his round.
“It started pretty well, because there was no wind. But then
the wind came up and made it tricky.
“And I think I just got used to having no wind, so I
struggled to choose the right bat and the right lines and those sorts of
things.”
He managed himself well, however, despite the wind and after
the two pars he made on the 10th and 11th holes, played the 12th expertly to
pick up a birdie there.
He did not make another birdie until the last hole, and was
happy to take home a blemish-free 66.
“I’m very pleased,” he said. “I didn’t make a bogey in the
last two days, so that’s good. I putted very well today, and I gave myself some
chances for par from the brink and I’m very pleased.”
Taking up the second spot was Andrew Curlewis, whose
second-round 64 took his total for the week to 13-under and two shots off
Karmis’ lead.
The third position on the leaderboard is occupied by veteran
Adilson da Silva, who carded the lowest score of the round, a 63, to total
10-under-par.
He shares that spot with overnight leader Strydom and
Thriston Lawrence.
Hennie Otto, England’s Richard Bland, Zander Lombard and
Justin Walters share the sixth spot on nine-under for the week at Royal Cape.
Birdie on the first hole and @KarmisPeter gets to -10 for the week @royalcapegolf #CapeTownOpen #SunshineTour #ItBeginsHere #RAMCouriers #CapeTownEvents #ramhandtohand pic.twitter.com/sCvTFC0V6m
— Cape Town Open (@CapeTownOpen) February 8, 2019
Leading Scores:
129 - Peter Karmis 63 66
131 - Andrew Curlewis 67 64
134 - Adilson da Silva 71 63, Jean-Paul
Strydom 62 72, Thriston Lawrence 66
68
135 - Hennie Otto 71 64, Richard
Bland 66 69, Zander Lombard 68
67, Justin Walters 66 69
136 - Jbe’ Kruger 69 67, Madalitso
Muthiya 67 69, MJ Viljoen 66 70, Daniel van Tonder 66
70