Jacques Blaauw ‘blamed’ Merrick Bremner for the single bogey on their card, but the pair still carded seven-under-par 65 on Friday in the second round of the Team Championship at Dainfern Country Club.
In the foursomes format – ‘alternate shot’ – Bremner and Blaauw made eight birdies and just the one bogey on the par-five eighth to join Jaco Prinsloo and JC Ritchie on top of the leaderboard, ahead of the final round that will return to the fourball better ball format of the opening round.
‘On the eighth, Merrick hit a duck hook left,’ said Blaauw, laughing. ‘And he also left me in some trouble on the par-five 18th, when I had to lay-up instead of trying to go for the green. But I also hit a bad shot on the seventh where I hit a bad shot, and we got lucky.’
Despite the light-hearted finger-pointing, the pair were happy with their play. ‘I’ve never played foursomes with Merrick ever before,’ said Blaauw.’“We gelled well – I made some good putts and he made a couple of very good putts as well.’
Bremner was generous enough to accept the blame.
‘I hit two bad tee shots and the rest is history,’ he said with another laugh. ‘I don’t think the fact that it was our first outing as a team in foursomes was a problem. Jacques and I play out of the same club and we’ve spent multiple practice rounds together, so we know each other’s games fairly well.’
Their single bogey came right between a pair of birdies, and was the only blemish on a card which was the joint best of the day. That seven-under-par mark was matched by Philip Geerts and Jade Buitendag, who joined Anton Haig and Tyrone Ferreira on 15-under par in a share of third going into the final round.
Prinsloo and Ritchie followed their brilliant opening 11-under 61 in the fourball with a fine six-under 66 in the foursomes to move some way towards ‘redemption’ for missing the cut in last year’s inaugural version of the tournament.
Cape Town Open champion, Benjamin Follett-Smith, and his fellow-Zimbabwean Stephen Ferreira shot a 66 in the second round to join old friends and partners Jake Roos and Christiaan Basson on 14-under par. For those teams, just three shots off the lead with the potentially low-scoring final round to come, there is plenty of incentive to come out firing.
Not that Bremner and Blaauw are likely to be holding anything back: ‘Merrick can really let go off the tee tomorrow,’ said Blaauw. ‘That’s the nice thing about better ball. We’ve got two balls in play, so tomorrow’s going to be guns blazing and there are going to be lots of birdies.’
Second round leaderboard:
127 – J Prinsloo & JC Ritchie 61 66, J Blaauw & M Bremner 62 65
129 – A Haig & T Ferreira 63 66, P Geerts & J Buitendag 64 65
130 – C Basson & J Roos 63 67, B Follett-Smith & S Ferreira 64 66
131 – J Ahlers & V Groenewald 62 69, J Hugo & H Du Plessis 58 73, J de Villiers & A Versfeld 64 67, D Greene & J Redman 59 72
132 – A Beckley & K McClatchie 64 68, M Palmer & T Ryan 63 69, R van der Spuy & JP Strydom 62 70
133 – A Michael & R Tipping 63 70, A Van der Knaap & L Jerling 62 71, J Smith & W Stroebel 64 69
134 – D McGuigan & H Otto 65 69, MJ Viljoen & O Strydom 63 71, D van Tonder & T Tree 66 68, R de Smidt & W Dingle 63 71
135 – C Groenewald & D Moore 64 71, B Meyer & C Mowat 67 68
136 – R Nortje & P Moolman 66 70, T Thimba & M Carvell 65 71
Missed the cut:
136 – C Swanepoel & CJ du Plessis 65 71, L Rowe & S Surry 63 73, V Lange & N O’Briain 65 71
137 – E Conradie & R Conradie 65 72, U van den Berg & T Fisher Jnr 65 72, P Eriksson & F From 66 71, JJ Senekal & R West 67 70, C Nel & N Schietekat 69 68
138 – M Mazibuko & T Simon 68 70, M Muthiya & A Odoh 64 74, T Bezuidenhout & E Lambrechts 67 71, A Nel & C Cannon 64 74, R McGowan & R Enoch 65 73, D Petersen & K Davidse 66 72
139 – M Rohwer & A De Decker 68 71, T Lawrence & L Albertse 68 71
140 – M McNulty & C Davison 71 69, M Nethunzwi & A de Kock 66 74
141 – H Loubser & S Campbell 72 69
142 – T Moore & W Coetsee 67 75, D Keun & R Lupini 69 73
143 – F Manchest & T Sefatsa 65 78
144 – H Bruiners & J Hess 68 76
146 – J Harvey & M Hollick 69 77
147 – T Gauche & J Viljoen 70 77
148 – A Bux & J Froneman 66 82
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images
