Ashleigh Buhai will start the final round of the Jabra Ladies Classic at Glendower Golf Club three shots clear of Stacy Bregman.
Buhai signed for a 69 to retain the lead on Thursday, but Bregman and local fan favourite Casandra Hall are hot on her heels with 18 holes.
The leader could not quite hit the heights of a blistering 63 on day one, but another flawless trip around the championship layout kept her at the summit. She will start the final round on 12-under-par 132, three shots clear of Bregman, who returned a bogey-free 68.
Hall – the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s most recent Ladies European Tour graduate – hauled herself into the chasing pack with a joint best of the day 66 to finish four shots adrift on eight-under.
Scotland’s Jane Turner, who visited the winner’s circle just two weeks ago at San Lameer Country Club, reeled in a trio of birdies over the last six holes for a 69 to move to fourth on four-under.
Buhai had a great start to the season with a fine top 13 finish in Australia before she was forced to return home when the LPGA Tour cancelled events in Thailand and Singapore due to health concerns about the Covid-19 virus.
She was pleased with her form over the first two days and looking forward to the final round battle.
”If it was offered, I would have taken 12-under before I teed off. I had a number in mind; I thought if I shot three rounds of four-under, I’d have a good chance to win,’ the 30-year-old said.
‘I’m already at 12-under, but I’ll have to keep my foot on the gas in the final round. Stacy played really well and I saw that Cas also had a great second round. Stace and I grew up playing this course and its Casandra’s home course, so the local course knowledge is definitely coming into play.
‘It helps that I know where the ball is going and stayed patient, because I didn’t have to chase. The pins were a little more tucked today and I didn’t hit it as close, so you play to the big spaces and work it into the flag. If you don’t, at least you still have a putt.’
Second Round Scores
(All competitors RSA unless otherwise stated and amateurs are indicated AMA)
132 – Ashleigh Buhai 63 69
135 – Stacy Bregman 67 68
136 – Casandra Hall 70 66
140 – Jane Turner (SCO) 71 69
141 – Kelsey Nicholas 68 73
142 – Rachel Rossel (SUI) 76 66, Monique Smit 73 69, Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ) 71 71, Sharmila Nicollet (IND) 71 71
143 – Lenanda van der Watt 76 67, Emie Peronnin (FRA) 75 68, Nicole Garcia 69 74
144 – Maria Beautell (ESP) 72 72
145 – Kaiyuree Moodley AMA 74 71, Kim Williams 73 72, Bianca Lohbauer AMA 73 72
146 – Lejan Lewthwaite 73 73, Caroline Rominger (SUI) 71 75
147 – Hayley Davis (ENG) 77 70, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 75 72, Michaela Fletcher 73 74, Hannah Arnold (USA) 72 75, Tandi McCallum 72 75, Mimmi Bergman (SWE) 69 78
148 – Larissa Du Preez AMA 75 73, Astrid Vayson De Pradenne (FRA) 74 74, Rachael Goodall (ENG) 74 74
149 – Anna Magnusson (SWE) 76 73, Woo-Ju Son (KOR) 75 74, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 75 74, Sideri Vanova (CZE) 75 74, Leticia Ras-Anderica (GER) 71 78
150 – Cara Gorlei 76 74, Lauren Taylor (ENG) 76 74, Kiera Floyd AMA 74 76, Zhen Bontan (NED) 72 78, Pasqualle Coffa (NED) 71 79
Missed the cut:-
151 – Christina Gloor (SUI) 79 72, Ellinor Haag (SWE) 77 74, Siviwe Duma 76 75, Nicola Schoeman AMA 71 80
152 – Ivanna Samu 77 75, Alexandra Bonetti (FRA) 77 75, Kim de Klerk AMA 75 77, Gabrielle Macdonald (SCO) 73 79
153 – Clara Pietri (SUI) 73 80
154 – Nadia van der Westhuizen AMA 79 75, Michelle Leigh 78 76, Shawnelle de Lange 77 77, Rosie Davies (ENG) 76 78
155 – Lindi Coetzee 74 81
156 – Sunelle von Molendorff 77 79
157 – Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 84 73, Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (NAM) 82 75, Kristyna Napoleaova (CZE) 81 76, Kyle Roig (PUR) 79 78, Marion Duvernay (FRA) 77 80
158 – Kiran Matharu (ENG) 79 79, Hannah McCook (SCO) 78 80
159 – Zethu Myeki 80 79, Flora Peuch (FRA) 79 80, Brittney-Fay Berger 79 80
160 – Julie Berton (FRA) 82 78
161 – Tijana Kraljevic 82 79
162 – Carmen Taljaard AMA 85 77, Carey Dodds AMA 81 81
163 – Lynette Fourie 84 79, Madeleen Grosskopf 81 82
164 – Eleonora Galletti AMA 83 81, Francesca Cuturi 83 81, Mae Cornforth 77 87
166 – Yolanda Duma 83 83
167 – Julie Bruyns-Leach 85 82
WDN – Chiara Contomathios 89 WDN
Photo: Heinrich Helmbold/Sunshine Ladies Tour/Gallo Images
