Durban - Despite being only the second tournament on the Sunshine Tour calendar year, the Zanaco Masters is proving to be a battle of many contenders, as three players - Stefan Wears-Taylor, Sean Bradley and Robson Chinoi, start the third round at 11-under par.
Bradley carded the round of the day with an eight-under 64, while Wears-Taylor and Chinoi shot six-under 66 and five-under 67 respectively.
With tight tees and hard bounces on the greens, Wears-Taylor says his experience on the tour over the last four seasons has helped him develop into a more composed golfer and human.
But the Centurion Country Club golfer’s attitude is something he was most proud of in the opening two rounds.
Wears-Taylor ended his opening nine in spectacular fashion, reeling off four consecutive birdies from the 15th hole.
Bradley and Chinoi also signed for impressive rounds, as Bradley managed seven birdies and an eagle for his eight-under 64, with Chinoi collecting four birdies on his front nine.
But the 26-year-old’s hard work and patience is starting to bear fruit. His first round in Lusaka was a continuation of his form, which saw his claim his first Sunshine Tour title in March, and finish in the top 20 at the FBC Zimbabwe Open a couple weeks ago.
“My attitude on the first two days is what I’m most proud of. I started the first round with a few errant shots to the left, which is unusual for me. But I’ve just stayed patient and enjoyed my day out on the course, enjoying where I’m walking and there are some huge trees here which are fascinating.
“I’ve just been staying positive because this golf course is going to bite you if you make mistakes. I started on the 10th and I had a productive morning, slowly building momentum until I had the wind in my sails and then some putts fell in the last few holes and I hit a very nice sandwedge to three feet on the 17th,” Wears-Taylor said.
“It takes time to find your feet on tour, especially because I didn’t have any real amateur background. It’s taken time to get to where I am, but I am seeing steady growth and learning more about myself both as a player and a person. I’m really enjoying the journey and hopefully it leads to a long and fruitful career,” he added.
Zimbabwe’s Chinoi put his masterful rounds up until Saturday, down to clean striking and being more aggressive off the tees, as he used a driver on most holes.
“It was a good day for me, I’m so happy with how I am striking the ball and my control on the greens. The trick though is off the tee, I used driver on most holes and I was just trying to be more aggressive.
“I am so grateful to see my name at the top of the leaderboard and I will keep to the same strategy and just try to keep it rolling. It shows that I am just as good as everyone here and I will just keep focusing and pressing,” Chinhoi said.
But the three men could not have slept easy last night, knowing the 2023 FBC Zimbabwe Open champion Neil Schietekat was just one shot behind them on 10-under, vying for back-to-back victories.
Schietekat and Englishman David Wicks tied for second place on 10-under 134. Both players shot seven-under 65 and three-under 69 on Thursday and Friday.
IOL