Erik Van Rooyen is the only South African in the top 10 heading into the weekend at the 2018 Joburg Open at Randpark Golf Club.
The PGA Championship winner fired a second round 67 to follow up his opening 64 as he shares third place after 36 holes with Finland’s Mikko Korhonen. It is Korhonen’s countryman Tapio Pulkkanen that everyone is chasing after his 64 on Friday.
Van Rooyen made four straight birdies to get his second round underway but could only play the rest of the round in -1 as the putts just avoided the hole.
‘It was fun to get off to a hot start and you don’t want to rein yourself in when you get that kind of run going, you try and keep the pedal down’ said Van Rooyen, who went shot for shot with leader Tapio Pulkkanen on the Challenge Tour this year.
‘I still played fine, I had a couple of close shaves on the greens here and there. It’s not as if I all of a sudden played poorly, I still played some good golf and I made a couple of nice putts on the back nine as well. Tapio and I have a nice little rivalry going and we’re good friends as well.
‘I’m happy for him that he’s playing well but I’m looking forward to the weekend. A spot in the Open is definitely something to play for, it’s in the back of your mind. Who wouldn’t want to play in the Open Championship?’
Van Rooyen is the leading South African with MJ Viljoen, Jaco Ahlers and George Coetzee all in 11th place on -8, four off Van Rooyen’s halfway tally.
Photo: Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images
