Justin Rose of England fired a seven-under 65 on Friday which equaled the day's best round, while South Africa's Trevor Immelman signed for a 66 as the pair shared the second round lead on 11-under 133 in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Heavy mid-morning rain before play started softened the Gary Player Country Club course and also brought the lift, clean and place rule into operation.
This made the 7,162m monster of a course a little more user-friendly as the greens were receptive which made it possible to attack the flagsticks, and it was easier -- with hardly any roll -- to keep the ball on the fairway.
What's more, being allowed to clean the mud off the ball means the players could trust their ball flight.
"So scores were always going to come down," said world No 8 Rose, who had seven birdies in a bogey-free return.
He was out in 34 strokes and home in just 31 with six threes in the last eight holes.
Immelman, also 27, had eight birdies and two bogeys in his 66.
Lurking three shots off the pace on 136 following a 67 was Ernie Els who is chasing a record fourth title in this 12-man event which was first played for in 1981 and today offers a first prize of US$1.2 million.
Sweden's Henrik Stenson, who finished second behind winner Jim Furyk last year (Furyk is injured and not defending his title) roared back into contention with a 65 after a slow start on Thursday when he had a 72.
Australia's Adam Scott, who shared the first round lead with Immelman on 67, lost ground with a 71 on Friday.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 22-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday in an NFL thriller between playoff contenders. Justin Herbert, playing a week after surgery on his broken left (non-throwing) hand, withstood a career-high seven sacks to throw for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game winner in overtime. The Chargers defenders forced Hurts to throw four interceptions and surrender a fumble for a career-worst five turnovers as the Eagles fell to 8-5 with a third
RSS