DURBAN, South Africa, 22 January 2005 — Titch Moore, one of the longest hitters in world golf, birdied four of the last six holes at windswept Durban Country Club yesterday to take the halfway lead in the South African Open.
Moore, playing his first season on the European Tour, was two over par for his round through 12 holes but his fast finish enabled him to sign for a 70 and a nine-under-par aggegate of 135.
Compatriots Hendrik Buhrmann (67) and Tjaart van der Walt (71) were two strokes back in joint second.
France’s Gregory Havret, after a pair of 69s, shared third on 138 with joint overnight leader Bruce Vaughan of the United States, and two other South Africans - Louis Oosthuizen and Andrew McLardy. Moore, 28, who earned his 2005 European Tour card at the qualifying school late last year, admitted his driving needed some fine tuning.
“The rest of my game is fine but I’m having a problem off the tee. The first fairway I hit today was on the seventh hole.
“Still, I scrambled well and I guess it’s what you put down on your scorecard that counts. I just need a session on the range to sort things out.”
Havret was upbeat, although like Moore his tee-shots were a little wild.
“I’m spot on with my putting, pretty solid with my chipping, having a bit of trouble with my mid-irons, and driving the ball pretty badly,” he admitted.
“But I’m scoring well and that’s the main thing,” added the 28-year-old Parisien.
“I had some good birdies today like at the long par-five 10th which was a monster against the wind. But I hit driver, driver to just short of the green and then got up and down for a four.
“I also got lucky at the 17th. I was lucky to find my ball after a bad drive and then lucky to find it again after a poor second. Then I upped and down to save par. Easy.”
Downwind, Havret then birdied the short par-four 18th by hitting a driver onto the edge of the green and two-putting for his three.
Havret is having a solid 2005 season and is 18th on the European Tour Order of Merit after three events (all held towards the end of 2004).
Coming into this tournament Vaughan hadn’t walked 18 holes in 11 months because of his troublesome knees, especially the left one. Now he has walked 36 holes in two days and in contention to win the tournament.
He has undergone six operations but, it seems, defied all odds to shoot 65 on Thursday and although he slipped to a 73 Friday the 47-year-old veteran who spends many hours crossbow hunting bank in Kansas is in the hunt here as well.
McLardy, like Vaughan, played in the morning when the weather was calmer. He started at the 10th and went out in 32 with four birdies in five holes between the 14th and 18th.
Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke looked like missing the cut but eagled the 250m par-four 18th by driving the green and sinking an eight-metre putt for an eagle to make it into the weekend on the button at 146.
Havret’s compatriot Gregory Bourdy signed for a solid 70 and a 145 total, one inside the cut mark.
