An emotional Keenan Davidse has dealt with the loss of two people he was very close to and said it has fuelled the golf he’s played to claim a share of the lead going into the weekend of the NMB Championship at Humewood Golf Club. MICHAEL VLISMAS reports.
Davidse signed for a second round of 66 on Friday to share the lead with Swede Bjorn Akesson on 14 under par. Akesson signed for a second round of 67.
They are one stroke clear of Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Caldwell following his 65, while South Africa’s Jaco Prinsloo, England’s Lee Slattery and Frenchman Martin Couvra are all on 12 under par.
Davidse played solid golf on Friday without dropping any shots but said it’s been an emotional week for him.
“My coach Arnold Mentz passed away two days ago and my aunt who I was very close to also passed away,” he said. “I have two special angels looking over me this week and that’s my motivation. I’ve been struggling and I’m just using that as fuel at the moment.”
He also took advantage of a favourable draw as the benign conditions continued at Humewood.
“The conditions were good in the morning,” he said. “It was only the last five or six holes where it became a bit windy. Humewood is known for its wind and it can get brutal out here so if the wind does come on the weekend it will be interesting. But you can’t predict anything here. I’m leading the tournament, but anything can happen here.”
Yet it’s precisely the unpredictability of links golf that Davidse enjoys.
“Links golf is tough and you need a little bit of luck,” he said of his chip-in for birdie on the 8th. “But I enjoy it. I like hitting it low in the wind. I enjoy the creativity. You can hit a few off-shots and get lucky with the slopes. You just need to avoid the bunkers on a links course.”
Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour
