Julien Guerrier holds a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Nedbank Golf Challenge after firing a remarkable 68 in extremely difficult conditions on Day Two.
Related: Max Homa starts strong in title defence
The in-form Frenchman, who ended his long wait for a maiden DP World Tour title in Andalucía in October, carded eight birdies and four bogeys in a roller-coaster second round as strong winds caused havoc at Gary Player Country Club.
While a hole-out birdie from a bunker at the eighth will perhaps go down as Guerrier’s best shot of the day, his par save from seven feet on the 18th green was probably his most important as, with his rivals leaking oil on the closing holes, it earned him the outright lead on five under par.
Defending champion and first-round leader Max Homa led for much of the day before back-to-back double bogeys on the 16th and 17th saw his two-shot advantage go up in smoke.
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Guerrier’s nearest challengers heading into the weekend were countryman Romain Langasque and home favourite Ockie Strydom, who sit one shot off the lead on four under. Homa was among the group a further stroke back after eventually signing for a 75.
Player quotes
Julien Guerrier: First of all, it’s a privilege to score under par in tough conditions like that. I am very pleased I made a lot of birdies.
It was difficult to stay patient, you know you are going to make some mistakes, everybody does. This is difficult because you can hit some really good shots, like me on 17 but then you go into the water, just the wrong gust at the wrong moment, but that is part of this golf course.
The fairways are actually wet so if you play straight down in the middle it is a little bit longer, and if you go on the side, it is a bit shorter, and on the green it is a bit firmer. We saw that on 18, it is really longer and the second shot is tough.
Romain Langasque: It is a very good score. I feel like it was playing really tough today, mostly because of the greens getting firm, so if you are just a bit out of the fairway then it became very tough to hit the greens.
So, I am very pleased the way I played. My mental approach and the work with my caddie has been very good, we stayed very patient and after the double on eight we didn’t move, and played very well on the back nine so that helped as well. So I am very happy about that.
It is not my first time here so I know the wind is completely going every wear, so I know it will switch and that will happen, so that’s why I talked about my caddie, I feel like we didn’t make any mistakes with it. The wind is something very, very tough here, especially because it is going one way to the other. You need to make a decision and then see what happens.
I think the top one (most difficult round this year). The only time I played somewhere where it was tougher was the third round at The Masters. I shot 11 over, and that day was very tough, but today was the kind of round where you shoot under par you have played well.
Ockie Strydom: It wasn’t easy out there, the wind was all over the place, you don’t know where it is coming from. It came up probably about two and a half clubs on the back nine, but was a total grind out there today.
All of it at the moment. I am driving it well, I am hitting my irons well, chipping and putting well, so I am pleased with the game is at the moment, it is just the wind that I need to figure out tomorrow and on Sunday, so looking forward to it.
I think when I started on the DP World Tour it was tough out there, it isn’t easy, and as you get older you are more at ease on the golf course now than what I was before, so it is just a privilege to be out there and swing a club and see what happens. I am just going to stick with my game plan and whatever happens happens.
