Zander Lombard moves two ahead at Nedbank Golf Challenge
Tommy Fleetwood five strokes back; Race to Dubai leader Bernd Wiesberger seven off the pace
Friday 15 November 2019 15:02, UK
Zander Lombard made the most of home advantage to move into a two-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Lombard, a regular at Gary Player CC but making his tournament debut at the Rolex Series event, mixed six birdies and an eagle with a sole bogey to post a seven-under 65 in Sun City.
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The world No 234 heads into the weekend on 11 under and two clear of compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, who followed up his opening-round 63 with a second-round 72, with Thomas Detry a further two strokes back in third after dropping three shots over his final two holes.
Lombard starting the day five strokes off the pace and slipped further behind after missing an eight-footer to save par at the past, only to get up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-five next and then stick his approach at the fifth to tap-in range.
The South African rolled in a 12-footer at the eighth but made a three-putt par at the next to turn in 34, before holing an eagle-putt from the fringe at the 10th and birdieing the next to join Oosthuizen and Detry in a three-way share of the lead.
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Detry, playing in the group behind, also eagled the tenth and drained a 25-footer at the twelfth to get to 10 under, as Oosthuizen birdied the 13th to move alongside the Belgian but then bogeyed his next two holes.
Lombard grabbed the lead with back-to-back birdies from the 15th, as Detry - who also birdied the same hole - cancelled out a birdie at the 16th by hitting his tee shot at the par-four 17th into water and cannoning his next attempt off a pole on his way to a double-bogey.
As Lombard closed out his round with successive pars to set the clubhouse target at 11 under, Oosthuizen birdied the 16th but couldn't find another the closing holes and Detry bogeyed the last to slip four shots off the pace.
Fleetwood, who can go as high as second in the season-long standings with a victory, shares fourth spot with Marcus Kinhult after matching 69s, with Aaron Rai six strokes back in tied-sixth.
Race to Dubai leader Bernd Wiesberger sits in the group on four under alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, with defending champion Lee Westwood a further stroke back after a one-over 73.
Watch the Nedbank Golf Challenge throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 7.30am on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.