It is the first time in Steve Basson’s career that he has shot 79 to lead a tournament. And after surviving the brutal conditions in the second round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour Championship at the Links at Fancourt on Thursday, the slightly built golfer declared, ”I don’t weigh enough to play in wind like this”.
Despite being 10 strokes worse than in his first round, Basson leads this event at two over par going into Friday’s final round, with not a single professional in the 72-man field able to break par on day two. Many struggled to even break 80.
A vicious westerly wind ripped across the course throughout the day, and some of the best swings in the country were blown to pieces.
A 76 was the best of the day while a 93 was the worst. And the halfway cut was the highest on the Tour in the last two seasons, ballooning to 17-over par.
Basson’s nearest challenger is first round leader Steve van Vuuren, who carded 83 for a total of five over.
But in a bizarre indication of the severity of the conditions, Chris Williams went from tied 19th after the first round to tied third on six over, and that after carding a 77. Mark Murless also made it to six over despite a round that saw him card a double bogey, bogey and triple bogey in three holes over the turn for his 77. And Tyrol Auret carded a 79 for his total of six over.
”It wasn’t funny. I actually hit a few poor shots with my short irons simply because the wind was blowing me off my feet,” said Basson, who seemed almost shell-shocked and couldn’t recall the details of his round, which included two birdies, six bogeys and one double bogey.
”It was one of those rounds where you don’t really count your score. I just played and tried to take as few shots as possible. All I knew was that when the ball dropped in the bottom of the hole it was time to move on to the next hole. That’s how hard it was.”
In terms of difficulty, it came close to the worst the players have endured on the tour in recent years.
Last year, a similar wind buffeted the nearby Pezula layout in Knysna during an Origins of Golf Tour event there, resulting in a cut of 14 over par. The event at Arabella Golf Club produced a cut of 13 over par. And this same event at the Links last year yielded a cut of 12 over par, with 2004 champion Thomas Aiken finishing as the only player under par on that occasion.
Basson finds himself in contention for his maiden title for the second time this year. He was in the final group in the Origins of Golf Tour in Bloemfontein but inexperience cost him the title.
”I took a lot from that experience. I’d never been in that position before and I had to learn from it.” – Sapa