adminDEFENDING champion Jbe Kruger believes he has to remain calm in his bid to reclaim the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open after opening a one-stroke lead at the close of his second round in the tournament at Royal Harare yesterday.
Kruger fired early warning shots when he shot an eight under-par 64 to open a two point lead over Adilson Da Silva after the first round on Thursday.
Yesterday, Kruger showed that he is not going to easily give up his title when he carded a four under-par 68 to finish on 12-under after the two rounds.
Dean Burmester, who grew up in Zimbabwe, is second after firing 66 to finish on 11-under while Brazilian national Da Silva is on 10-under-par.
Kruger sunk five eagles and dropped a shot on the fifth hole but remains confident.
“I think I played a lot better today and I just had five putts more. I think if you do not lead after shooting a 64, then you are not playing well and like I said, today was not as nice as yesterday.
“Putting wise, I think I did a lot better, but it was little bit colder this morning.
“I do not think that there was as much wind as yesterday, but the coldness affected me, because the ball doesn’t go far and the flights are hard.
“So if it’s cold, your body will not move the way you want it,” said Kruger.
Kruger is not underrating Burmester and Da Silva, two golfers who know the course very well.
“I think Burmester has played very well, probably the whole year, and so I think he is in form and Adilson has been here, forever and he is going to be one of the guys to beat, if I could say,” said Kruger.
With two rounds remaining, Kruger said he will keep calm and play one ball at a time.
“I think I will try to concentrate on one shot at a time and I am sure that will make a difference. I have to stop making silly mistakes,” said Kruger.
Meanwhile, Ryan Cairns and Mark Williams are tied on one-under-par 143 as the highest-placed Zimbabweans after the second round of the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open.
Cairns finished level after the second round, having ended on one-under-par 71 in the opening round on Thursday while Williams was on three-over par 75.
Williams had begun his bid with an impressive four under-par, but made six bogeys on Friday.
Both Williams and Cairns are 11 strokes behind runway leader and defending champion Kruger who is on 12-under-par 132.
Veteran Williams shot the worst round on Friday among the players ranked in the top 30.
The Zimbabwean pair of Cairns and Williams are tied with South Africa’s Ulrich van Berg, Danie Van Tonder and Lindiwe Ndwandwe.
Cairns had hinted that he will not put pressure on himself.
“I am trying to stay within what I can do right now because I have been out for so long. So I am just enjoying the course, having grown up here my whole life.
“I am just going to enjoy that rather than putting pressure on myself to win. I made that mistake last year and I fell short,” said Cairns. — Sportszone.
Online Reporter