Ockie Strydom played with the freedom of being pain-free after a back injury and earned himself a two-stroke lead going into the weekend of the Stella Artois Players Championship at Dainfern Golf Estate.
Strydom signed for a second round of 63 that carried him to 13-under par on Friday. His nearest challenger is Jaco Ahlers on 11-under after a 67. Keith Horne and defending champion Jaco Prinsloo are well placed on 10 under par.
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But as much as Strydom’s aware of how much golf is still left to be played in this tournament, he is simply relishing not having to struggle with back pain.
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“It was fun out there. I’m pain free and loving it. I’ve had back injuries for a long time and after the Limpopo Championship I went to see a specialist. I didn’t need surgery, but I had a procedure and I can’t tell you how much fun it is to play golf without pain and feel like the body can move in the position you need it to. It’s just been a joy to play golf again because I know my golf is on form at the moment,” said Strydom.
His putter was also on form on Friday, including a 25-footer for eagle on the 18th.
“It’s nice to roll in some putts for a change. I’ve been struggling with my putting but have been working hard on it.”
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Much like last year, the scoring has once again been low in this tournament, but not as low as Strydom expected it to be.
“It’s not a long golf course and last year it felt like some of the guys were going crazy around here. This year it’s a bit different with all the rain we’ve had. It’s a lot softer but the greens are still quick. They’re extremely fast and I think over the weekend it will be survival of the fittest out there.”
Photo Credit: Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour
