Playing golf in South Africa’s northern-most province seems to agree with Heinrich Bruiners as he will go into the final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Zebula Country Club in pole position to claim his second Sunshine Tour title, 10 years after his first victory also came in Limpopo.
Bruiners completed back-to-back 67s on Saturday to post a 10-under-par total after two rounds, and he will take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. His previous victory was also in the Vodacom Origins of Golf series, in the 2013 event played at nearby Euphoria Golf Estate in Mookgophong.
“I don’t know if it’s something in the air or being in the bush, but my first top five was also in Limpopo and I was in the top three after two rounds of a Challenge Tour event up here as well, but unfortunately I was sick over the weekend,” Bruiners said.
“So it will be really nice to get over the line again having had 10 years to grow and mature as a person. Technically I’m in a much better space having changed equipment ahead of this tournament and feeling more comfortable with a more natural ball-flight. I felt like I was fighting my natural ball-flight before.
“And mentally I feel ready as well. I know everyone is going to come hard in the final round and level par is not going to be good enough, so I will just stay positive and use a game plan that gives me lots of opportunities. But I will be quite happy just to take it all in. I’m quite comfortable with whatever the outcome will be.”
For the second day in succession, Bruiners was sublime over the back nine, where he started his round on Saturday. Having come home in 32 strokes in the first round, he went one better in the second round by going out in 31 with birdies on the 10th, 11th, 14th, 15th and 18th holes.
On Saturday the 35-year-old came home in level par, with three bogies cancelling out three birdies on the front nine.
There are four golfers just one stroke behind Bruiners. Jason Smith, Trevor Fisher Jnr and Pieter Moolman all fired 65s on Saturday to climb to nine under par for the tournament, alongside 26-year-old Jovan Rebula who signed for a 68.
Then three other golfers – Jacques Kruiswijk, Neil Schietekat and Gerhard Pepler – are on eight-under-par, having all shot 68s on Saturday.
With the presence of Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals competing with the men in the same tournament for the same prize money for the first time in Sunshine Tour history, Cara Gorlei is still the leading women’s golfer. She slipped down the leaderboard, however, in the second round, with her 74 taking her from tied-second to tied-31st on three under.
