Daniel van Tonder will look to secure his second title in as many weeks when he tees off for the final round of the IGT Chase #4 after his second-round five-under 67 got him to a total of nine-under for the week.
He ties that score with overnight leader and Golf RSA National squad member, the very impressive Yurav Premlall, whose three-under 69 in round two helped him stay on top.
Van Tonder entered the second round two shots off Premlall’s pace, at four-under, and turned things on in the second round, signing for the lowest score of the round which catapulted him to the summit along with Premlall against one of the strongest fields on the IGT Tour currently.
“I have been playing a lot on the Sunshine Tour and overseas which is why I did not get any chances to play on IGT,” said Van Tonder after his round, “But, it is great to play on the IGT when there aren’t any other events because it helps to keep your golf game sharp. This year with Covid-19 there aren’t many tournaments on Sunshine Tour so now I can play a couple of IGT events again that are between the Sunshine Tour events.”
A threat in just about every tournament he plays, Van Tonder could prove unstoppable at his home course when the time to turn it up arrives. Now, judging by his recent results on the Sunshine Tour which consist of a ninth-spot finish at the BETWay Championship, a victory in the African Bank Sunshine Tour Championship at Glendower and a 10th-place last week in Pretoria, no-one can confidently say that Van Tonder can’t win tomorrow.
“I am a member at Copperleaf and I play and practice here during when I am not playing other events,” he noted with confidence, “I feel very confident at Copperleaf and before I became a member here, I have always enjoyed playing this golf course.”
As has been shown many times already in the last season or two, while Van Tonder is a proven winner on the Sunshine Tour and now aiming for success abroad, Golf RSA players and those who graduated there in recent times aren’t any pushovers. Premlall has already had a taste of IGT victory before and at his age, he wants more. He’s proven he can do it and Van Tonder has seen it as well, and that makes that final pairing tomorrow an appetising affair.
Dylan Mostert is only a single shot behind the leading duo and following back-to-back 68s at Copperleaf, the left-handed man has all the potential to pull a low one and play himself into the reckoning.
Amateur Werner Deyzel is seven-under-par and lies fourth, with fellow amateurs Dawid Opperman and Slade Pickering also within touching distance of the lead.
