(Foto: Sunshine Tour/Twitter)
On Saturday, the sun shone brightly for the first time in three days on the Limpopo golf championship, which is being played at the Euphoria estate in Modimolle, but it still gave the organizers of this tournament in the Sunshine Series gray hair.
The tournament had to be shortened to 54 holes after the first round could not be completed on Thursday due to rain and lightning.
More heavy downpours made Friday’s second round impossible after the track was flooded.
The result was that a whole host of players only completed their first rounds on Saturday before they teed off in the second round.
But at 18:02 a halt was called after it became too dark to continue playing.
Many players were still on the course working on their second rounds and completed their rounds early on Sunday morning before teeing off in the third and final round.
Neil Schietekat was the clubhouse leader on Saturday evening on 136 (-9) followed by Hennie du Plessis, Christiaan Burke and Ryan van Velzen, who all three finished on 137 shots (-8).
Jaco Prinsloo (-6) and Stephen Ferreira of Portugal were tied at -6, but Prinsloo only finished the seventh hole and Ferreira was on the tenth.
* In Orlando, Florida, South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel hits 136 (-6) in Sunday’s third and final round of the LIV tournament, six shots behind the leader, the American Brooks Koepka (130, – 12).
Koepka, who boasts 16 career wins, has never won in his home state of Florida, according to the LIV website, but is well on his way there.
Koepka is followed at 133 (-9) by Colombian Sebastian Muñoz, with Chile’s Mito Perreira, Patrick Reed (America) and Laurie Canter (England) together at 134 (-8).
South Africa’s Dean Burmester and Branden Grace are one shot behind Schwartzel on 137 (-5), with Louis Oosthuizen on 140 (-2) in 33rd position.
The South Africans’ Stinger team is fifth (-17) with the Smash team leading on -28, followed by Torque (-24), Cleeks (-21) and 4Aces (-19).
* In the US PGA Series’ Texas Open played in San Antonio, American Patrick Rodgers (204, -12) is one stroke ahead of Canada’s Corey Connors (205, -11), with America’s Matt Kuchar third at 207 (-9).
South Africa’s MJ Daffue is at 212 (-4), Christiaan Bezuidenhout at 214 (-2) and Garrick Higgo at 219 (+3).
* In the US LPGA Series, China’s Ruoing Yin (199, -14) is two shots ahead of Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim (201, -12) after the third round of the LA Open held at Palos Verdes Country Club Los Angeles is played.
They are followed by Georgia Hall (Britain) on 203 (-10).
South Africa’s Paula Reto, who scored 75 shots in the third round, is on 217 (+4).
Neil Schietekat finished his round almost two and half days later and takes the share of the clubhouse lead ????#LimpopoChampionship | #GreatnessBeginsHere | #SunshineTour pic.twitter.com/Hm82hwbkGZ
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) April 1, 2023
???? Select 5️⃣ shots of the day in Limpopo, which one is your favourite? @BEXcourier | #LimpopoChampionship | #SunshineTour
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) April 1, 2023
