Lejan Lewthwaite might hold an eight-shot lead at the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am, but she is not getting ahead of herself ahead of the final round, writes ANDRE HUISAMEN.
The 28-year-old is perfectly poised to claim her second successive victory on the tour after winning the SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, at Sun City two weeks ago.
Lewthwaite, who took the lead on Friday, extended her advantage with a round of 68 in the second round and despite being confident on the course, she remains reserved about her chances of winning the competition.
‘I don’t for a minute believe I’ve got this in the bag. A bogey here, a double bogey there and an eight-shot lead can evaporate quickly.’
‘I’m just going to stick to my process. It’s something my mental coach Mark Fairbanks and I work on all the time. Play shot for shot, focus on making the best score on every hole, try to limit the bogeys and hopefully it goes well enough that I’m standing with the trophy at the end of the day,’ Lewthwaite said.
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Her biggest threat looks to be coming from the defending champion Nobuhle Dlamini, who is in second place on 2 under par after the two rounds.
With the action concluding at the Outeniqua Golf Course on Sunday, Lewthwaite is well aware of the brilliance Dlamini produced at the course last year to claim victory.
‘If there is one thing you can’t control it’s what someone else is going to do. Last year Nobby fired seven birdies to come from behind and win. She birdied the last two holes to beat me by two shots. So no, I’m not taking anything for granted. If Nobby gets her eye in early and the putter starts running hot, she will definitely come for me,’ said Lewthwaite.
But speaking about how she handled the challenging conditions on Saturday, Lewthwaite was satisfied with the way she fought back after a difficult start.
‘It was extremely hot out there today and I really struggled with the heat, especially when we had to wait on some holes. I duffed my tee shot on the ninth after a long delay and had a bogey, but managed to make a few putts coming home.’
