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10 NOVEMBER, 2023 - DP WORLD TOUR: Max Homa posted his second bogey-free round of the week to retain a share of the lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge as he was joined at the top by in-form Matthieu Pavon in Sun City.
The American Ryder Cup star added a four under par 68 to his blemish-free opening 66 to reach ten under par at Gary Player Country Club, sharing the 36-hole advantage with acciona Open de Espana presented by Madrid winner Pavon, who carded an impressive six under 66.
The World Number Eight made the turn at one under after seeing several birdie putts slide by the hole, but they began to drop more frequently on the back nine as he navigated the tough Sun City layout without dropping a shot to put the finishing touches on a fine 68 in scorching South African conditions. “I’m very pleased, a little pleasantly surprised, so it’s been nice", SAID HOMA. "The body’s been feeling better as the week’s gone on, so I woke up today feeling like a golfer again, which was nice. It’s a real dream. If you’re going to fly 27-odd hours over here, you might as well play some good golf, so it’s nice that I’m doing that.
“You have to guess the wind right, a lot, it’s incredibly confusing. But I think the same; continue to hit as many greens as you can, leave yourself in the right spots if you are on the green and just be patient. I think today was a good example. I shot one under on the front, felt it could be have been a couple better but I never really pressed and just kept giving myself looks and finally made a good one on 17, which made it feel exponentially better. Do a lot of that for the weekend, that will be the goal.”
Frenchman Pavon, who won his maiden DP World Tour title in the Spanish capital on his 185th start last month, continued his excellent recent form as he surged into contention in ‘Africa’s Major’.
The 30-year-old sandwiched that win with top tens at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Estrella Damm Andalucia Masters and is now eyeing a strong weekend in Sun City as he looks to make his mark on the Race to Dubai and move into the conversation for one of the ten PGA TOUR cards on offer to players not otherwise exempt.
England’s Dan Bradbury is third after 36 holes in the penultimate event of the season, bogeying the last to drop out of a share for the lead and sit on nine under par. Danish duo Thorbjørn Olesen and Nicolai Højgaard share fourth on eight under, while Scotland’s Richie Ramsay is joined by leading South African Hennie du Plessis in a tie for sixth on seven under.
The group of seven players a shot further back include defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, who posted a five under 67, while two-time Major winner Justin Thomas surged up the leaderboard with a bogey-free six under 66.
The American Ryder Cup star added a four under par 68 to his blemish-free opening 66 to reach ten under par at Gary Player Country Club, sharing the 36-hole advantage with acciona Open de Espana presented by Madrid winner Pavon, who carded an impressive six under 66.
The World Number Eight made the turn at one under after seeing several birdie putts slide by the hole, but they began to drop more frequently on the back nine as he navigated the tough Sun City layout without dropping a shot to put the finishing touches on a fine 68 in scorching South African conditions. “I’m very pleased, a little pleasantly surprised, so it’s been nice", SAID HOMA. "The body’s been feeling better as the week’s gone on, so I woke up today feeling like a golfer again, which was nice. It’s a real dream. If you’re going to fly 27-odd hours over here, you might as well play some good golf, so it’s nice that I’m doing that.
“You have to guess the wind right, a lot, it’s incredibly confusing. But I think the same; continue to hit as many greens as you can, leave yourself in the right spots if you are on the green and just be patient. I think today was a good example. I shot one under on the front, felt it could be have been a couple better but I never really pressed and just kept giving myself looks and finally made a good one on 17, which made it feel exponentially better. Do a lot of that for the weekend, that will be the goal.”
Frenchman Pavon, who won his maiden DP World Tour title in the Spanish capital on his 185th start last month, continued his excellent recent form as he surged into contention in ‘Africa’s Major’.
The 30-year-old sandwiched that win with top tens at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Estrella Damm Andalucia Masters and is now eyeing a strong weekend in Sun City as he looks to make his mark on the Race to Dubai and move into the conversation for one of the ten PGA TOUR cards on offer to players not otherwise exempt.
England’s Dan Bradbury is third after 36 holes in the penultimate event of the season, bogeying the last to drop out of a share for the lead and sit on nine under par. Danish duo Thorbjørn Olesen and Nicolai Højgaard share fourth on eight under, while Scotland’s Richie Ramsay is joined by leading South African Hennie du Plessis in a tie for sixth on seven under.
The group of seven players a shot further back include defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, who posted a five under 67, while two-time Major winner Justin Thomas surged up the leaderboard with a bogey-free six under 66.
