Joburg Open – Takeaways Going Into The Weekend in Johannesburg

The Chasing Field

This one is certainly not in the bag for Waring, who’s looking for his first win. South African Darren Fichardt (-11) has the clubhouse lead in his native country’s and continent’s largest annual golf tournament. Fichardt made just one bogey. He’s looking to turn back the clock for his European Tour first win since 2003.

Dean Burmester through 15 holes is the other at 11-under-par heading to Saturday. He makes the second of four South Africans tied for fifth or better. Over one-third of the field (71/210) hails from South Africa.

South African Jacques Kruyswijk is alone at 10-under. Defending champion Haydn Porteous is the only without a bogey through 36 holes and is among five tied for fifth place. Four are tied for 10th, including France’s Romain Langasque, pictured above.

The projected cut line currently sits at 85 players at four-under. Top 65 and ties advance.

A lot of golf is still to be played as 74 players have as much as nine holes to left in their second rounds beginning 7 a.m. local time Saturday. Soft conditions at an already scoring-friendly event — only one champion in the event’s 10-year history has failed to reach 15-under-par — could easily push the number to five-under.

Players will shift to the Royal J&K GC’s East Course for the final two rounds after splitting Thursday and Saturday between the East and West.

Sticking to the East should sit well with Fichardt and Burmester; both are six-under on the 7,656-yard par-72.

A lurking name to watch could be England’s Aaron Rai. The 21-year-old was a cut-making machine on the Challenge Tour in 2016. His seven-under 65 Thursday on the East is the best 18-hole score there this week. Rai is tied for fifth at nine-under through 36 holes for his first cut in the big leagues.