Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult will take a three-stroke lead into the weekend of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, but with a strong group of challengers equally well placed to keep the pressure on him at Leopard Creek.
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On another day of intense heat in the lowveld, Kinhult kept a cool head and signed for a 68 and the lead on 11 under par.
“It started out okay with the heat but after five or six holes I was hiding under the umbrella for most of the round. But it was a good day. I feel like I played well but didn’t take advantage of the par fives. But I’m not upset. This was a good score and I’m looking forward to two more rounds,” said Kinhult, who has given himself another shot at a second DP World Tour title after losing a playoff for the KLM Open this year.
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Behind him, South Africa’s Dean Burmester worked his way into contention on eight under par with a 67, joining Andrea Pavan (69) and Dale Whitnell (67) as Kinhult’s nearest challengers. Burmester is a tough prospect on home soil when he has a chance, having won three of his four DP World Tour titles in South Africa.
“It was extremely hot out there but I played a solid round of golf. I’m three behind. I’m just going to keep to my strategy, and we’ll see where that ends up. If I can roll in a few putts, who knows what will happen,” he said.
Fellow South African Charl Schwartzel also moved ominously into contention amongst a group of players on seven under par with a round of 66, including two eagles.
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Schwartzel is chasing a record fifth title in a championship where he also owns the biggest margin of victory and lowest tournament total, and has started to find his comfort levels on this course this week.
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“We’ve got 36 holes to go and my game feels good. I know this golf course. You’ve got to start giving yourself the opportunities. But it can also bite you. If you miss the fairways all the time it’s really difficult to control the ball out of the rough. So there is a big emphasis on putting the ball on the fairway. But we’re halfway through and I’m up there. The golf course will only get firmer, so with 36 holes to go I need to keep creating opportunities and hopefully we’re there by Sunday,” he said.
