Konig claims top spot ahead of final round in Soweto

England’s Harry Konig will take a slim one-stroke lead into the final round of the seventh tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour held at Soweto Country Club.

This is after Konig carded a second-round 70 on Wednesday to back up his opening 67, for a one-shot lead over Jaden Deltel. Konig started his second round with six straight pars but dropped a shot on the seventh. He bounced back from that setback with a birdie to keep things level before the turn. He found joy on the 10^th, birdieing that hole before making an important par-save on the 11^th.

Konig maintained momentum with a brace of birdies on 12 and 13 but went on to give a shot back on the 15^th as he made his second drop of the round. He finished with three straight pars for a score of two-under 70, taking his total to seven-under for the tournament.

“Solid day today,” he said after a testing outing in South Africa’s most iconic township. “I played really well yesterday, and I played pretty well again today. I missed a few chances, but overall, I’m very happy with my first two days so far.

“I’ve struggled here the last couple of years. So, I just pumped driver pretty much everywhere today; I tried to get as close to the greens as possible. Obviously, the course is playing very firm; it’s windy. So, yeah, just tried to get to as close to the greens as possible, and if I’m in a bad spot, you can get it on and around the greens anyway. Keeping it on the right side of the flags was key.”

Konig is on the chase for his second title of the season, having claimed the Glenvista leg earlier in the season. An experienced campaigner on this circuit already, Konig is fully aware of the challenge that lies before him as he seeks to make it two wins this season.

“It will be awesome to get a second win in the last couple of months,” he noted. “But there’s a lot of golf still to go, but I’m looking forward to the battle and hopefully, I’ll be up to the task.”

His closest challenger, Deltel, will feel he has a real chance at claiming his maiden victory on this Sunshine Tour development tour. Deltel narrowly missed out on a win in the season-opening tournament at Dainfern Golf Estate and, trailing by just a single shot going into Thursday’s final round in Soweto, the young Deltel has a shot at redemption this week.

“It feels great to be in contention,” said Deltel, who plays out of Bryanston Country Club. “It’s a privilege to be in this position, and I definitely love these moments. I’m just grateful for the opportunities, and I’m looking forward to enjoying every moment out there.”

Wandre Snyman and veteran Brandon Pieters share third on five-under while Joe Sullivan, Dillon Germishuys and American Austin Cherichella are a further shot back.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.