Frenchman Alexander Levy came to the bushveld seeking inspiration on his journey back to the DP World Tour, and he certainly found it amidst the giraffe, wildebeest and a 36-hole total of 12 under par that gives him a share of the lead into the weekend of the SDC Open at Zebula Country Club.
Levy added a second round of 68 to his opening 64 to share the lead with South Africa’s Louis Albertse (65) and Welshman Rhys Enoch (66) at the halfway stage of this Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament.
The trio are one shot clear of Wilco Nienaber on a leaderboard that is more tightly packed than a game drive at a lion spotting.
“I’m really pleased,” said Levy, who set the clubhouse target on Friday morning before he was caught later in the afternoon. “I didn’t have my A game today so to shoot under par was really good.”
Levy, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour who is looking to regain that form, turned level par for his round while not feeling entirely comfortable with his game. But his experience showed on the back nine as he made four birdies to maintain his place at the top of the leaderboard after also sharing the lead in the first round.
“I’m proud of what I did on the back nine. I was struggling on the front nine and didn’t feel my swing was good. It was the first time I’ve played here in the morning so it was a little bit more windy. But I just said to myself to stay calm and try to hit good shots at the right time. Then I started to play a little better and it’s nice to come back like I did and hit some good shots at the end of the round. I had a good birdie on the last to get some good momentum for tomorrow. The game is there.”
Levy’s experience will certainly count on a weekend that is set up for some thrilling golf.
Nienaber is looking like a golfer who has come into this year with a new approach that is clearly working as he chases his second Challenge Tour title. On 10 under par Gerhard Pepler’s second round of 64 suggests he is enjoying his time in the bushveld, and Ryan van Velzen is just three shots back and chasing back-to-back victories following his win in last week’s Mediclinic Invitational.
