Daniel van Tonder overcame a bee sting on the first tee to claim a share of the lead going into the weekend of the Sunshine Tour’s Fortress Invitational at Glendower Golf Club.
Van Tonder signed for a second round of 69 on Friday to share a one-stroke lead with Christiaan Burke (67) on nine under par overall.
Related: Benjamins button down Fortress Invitational lead
“On the first tee box, just before we teed off, a bee stung me on my right hand, causing a bit of swelling. My hand was swollen and burning. It wasn’t easy to hold the club and get some feel,” Van Tonder said.
Despite the discomfort, Van Tonder birdied the first hole and played his way into contention for his third victory this year.
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“It was a tough day with the wind, and the greens were really tricky in the afternoon. But I think I coped well with everything. I’m happy with my game,” he said.
Alongside him, Burke claimed a share of the lead with a run of three consecutive birdies in his final six holes.
“Today was really good, but it was quite tough with the wind. It was swirling a lot, so it was difficult to get the distances right. I was putting solid and just tried to manage my game around the course,” said Burke, who is hunting his maiden title on the Sunshine Tour this weekend.
“I know this course well. I play here a lot. Heading into the weekend I’ll just stick to my own game and not worry about the other golfers. I’ll just focus on hitting the fairways and greens and the putts will come. I am hitting the ball well, so it will be an exciting next two days.”
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It’s still a tight leaderboard with a group of five players just one shot off the leaders and including Kyle Barker, Tyrone Ryan, Jonathan Broomhead, Deon Germishuys and Rhys Enoch.
