Cronje goes low to grab slender lead in Big Easy final at Waterkloof.

Daniel Cronje will take a slim one-stroke lead into the third and final round of the Betway Big Easy Tour Final, after a near-perfect second round of 64 took his tournament total to 14-under-par at Waterkloof Golf Club.

His opening 66 was a solid round by any standard, but Cronje was left with a fair amount of disappointment heading into moving day.

“It was good,” said Cronje of his second round 64. “I was frustrated after yesterday’s finish, so it was nice to come out hot this morning and yeah, I’m happy with the way I played.”

Seven birdies, an eagle and a lone bogey characterised Cronje’s round while his closest challenger and overnight leader, Oliver Goldhill’s 70 consisted of six birdies and four dropped shots. The 23-years-old will once again find himself challenging for that breakthrough victory in the final round on Thursday.

There were some notable big movers on Wednesday, including Jacques Van der Merwe who is chasing his fourth win of the season and seeking to etch his name in history as the first player to win four times in a single Betway Big Easy Tour season.

Van der Merwe’s round of 67 took his total to 10-under and placed him in a four-way share of the third spot alongside Leon Visser, Tristan Leonard and Jake Bolton, who is looking for his second win this season as well.

With a packed leaderboard set to guarantee exciting golf action for those who will be watching on the Sunshine Tour’s YouTube channel, Facebook Page and X, and for those who will be at Waterkloof on Thursday, the leading Cronje remains calm in the face of the coming challenge.

“I haven’t actually looked at the leaderboard yet,” he said, walking off the 18^th green. “I’d not know exactly where I’m lying, but hopefully, it’s up there and we’ll give it a run tomorrow.”

Only the top 30 players on the Order of Merit are eligible for the final at Waterkloof and the top 12 players on the Order of Merit, along with the leading six transformation players, will earn their Sunshine Tour cards at the end of this week.

The final round will be streamed live on the Sunshine Tour’s YouTube, Facebook and X platforms from 08H00 on Thursday.

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