NJ Arnoldi’s fine form at Centurion Country Club continued as the Silver Lakes golfer stretched his overnight lead to four shots in round two of the Race to QSchool 9.
After setting the first round target with a flawless nine-under-par 63, Arnoldi fired a 66 on Tuesday to set the 36-hole target at 15-under-par 129.
Dean O’Riley made a strong case for a third title this season with a superb 65 that included a trio of birdies on the front nine, a single drop at 10 and four successive birdies from the 11th.
Wingate Park amateur Fanie Wolmarans offset a double bogey at six with nine birdies to match O’Riley’s 65 for a share of second at 11 under.
Clayton Mansfield and Malcolm Mitchell posted respective rounds of 68 and 65 and the KwaZulu-Natal amateur pair will start Wednesday’s final round six off the pace.
Arnoldi picked up four birdies on his outward loop and surrendered a lone shot at the par four sixth among three more gains coming home.
Although he didn’t replicate the fireworks of his opening gambit, but the 24-year-old Tshwane native was nevertheless pleased to protect his lead and open up a gap on the field.
‘Unfortunately I left the ball short with my approach at sixth and I didn’t execute a pretty easy up-and-down to save par,’ he said. ‘I hit the chip shot too firmly and the ball shot past the pin and I missed the return putt for par.
‘Aside from that one glitch on my card, I was flawless through the first nine holes, but I must admit that I lost a bit of focus on the back nine. It was incredibly hot and I hit a couple of lose shots. I did well to save par on all but one hole. Like I said, I let an easy one go at six.
‘I’m still in a good position, though, and I’m going to try to convert this lead into a victory. It’s not a gimme, though. The standard in the Race to Q-School series is really high this year; it’s definitely higher than I remember from last year.
‘We love Centurion because it always serves up some birdies, but I don’t remember a time at this course in the last three years where 37 players were in red figures after two rounds. This year’s Race to Q-School is seriously competitive, so I’m looking forward to a nice tussle in the final round.’
By Lali Stander
Second round scores
129 – NJ Arnoldi 63 66
133 – Dean O’Riley 68 65, Fanie Wolmarans AMA 68 65
135 – Malcolm Mitchell AMA 70 65, Clayton Mansfield AMA 67 68
