Teagan Moore leads Wingate Challenge after two rounds
A local player took the lead midway through the IGT Tour's Wingate Challenge in the east of Pretoria.
A random bogey at 17 cost Teagan Moore a share of the lead on day one, but the Pretoria amateur got his just deserts when he helped himself to the second round lead in the IGT Tour’s Wingate Challenge on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Centurion golfer picked up birdies at one and five, but was back to even-par after dropping shots at three and six. However, a pair of birdies at eight and nine took him through the turn at two under and he was able to offset a final bogey at 13 with a birdie at 15.
A final gain at 18 saw Moore home in three under 69 and he tops the heap at five-under-par 139.
Moore leads by one from fellow amateur Ruan Korb and finished four shots clear of Matthew Vogel, Simon Kruger and Stephan Erasmus.
Moore was in a similar situation when he led the first round of the Centurion Challenge six weeks ago. He fired an opening 66, but although he slipped from contention with a 70 in the second round, he rallied to claim a joint runner-up finish in the final round at Centurion Country Club. It was his best result for the season and the experience taught Moore a couple of valuable lessons.
“I was actually in a good position through 10 holes in that second round,” he said.
“I had a couple of birdies and an eagle at 10, but then I double bogeyed 11 and I lost the plot for a while. I had two more birdies and bogeys on the way home, but I finished three off the pace when I should have held on to the lead.
“I struggled to get my focus back. It’s the little things that trip you up and that’s where you need to work harder. In the final round, I also dropped four shots, but I was able to stay in the moment and fight my way back to second. The bogey on 17 yesterday would have rattled me a month ago, but I just kept a cool head and made sure of the par at 18.
“You can’t control everything on the course. Sometimes you get a bad bounce or a bad lie and you have to roll with it. But your mental game is something you can control and that’s what I am working the hardest on at the moment.”
Overnight leader Erasmus carded a 74 to slip to joint third on one under with Vogel, who shot a 69 and Kruger, who posted a 71.
Matthew Spacey and Duane Keun logged a pair of 74s to tie for sixth at even-par 144.
Meanwhile Sunshine Ladies Tour rookie Carrie Park fired an eagle and three birdies to table the low round of the day. Park overhauled Namibia’s Bonita Bredenhann to lead the ladies challenge with a four under 68 and rocketed into the top 10.
Park shares eighth alongside amateurs Ruhan van Dijk and 2016 IGT Tour champion Ruan Conradie, who posted respective rounds of 71 and 69.
Bredenhann ruined what could have been a solid round with a double bogey at six and drops at nine and 14. She signed for a 75 to finish at two over. Michelle Leigh posted a 74 to finish on the positive side of the cut, which fell at 15 over 159.
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