Solid short game helps Moore to top of the leaderboard at Kyalami

Zambia’s Dayne Moore says a solid short game helped him to his second successive 67 of the Altron Big Easy Tour tournament which is being played at Kyalami Country Club where he currently leads by one shot ahead of the final round.

Moore is 10-under-par for the tournament and a shot ahead of State Mines Country Club amateur, Casey Jarvis.

“I hit some really good iron shots this week,” said Moore. “I was solid off the tee too. My strength is my chipping and putting and I think it all came together this week. I feel I need to hit more fairways and more greens but it’s a work in progress and I’m just happy to have played well these two days.”

Moore played solidly on the front nine and he made three birdies on that stretch – on the first, the fourth and seventh holes. A bogey on the 10^th made it onto his card but Moore bounced back expertly; making three birdies on the trot. He held things tight after that, taking three pars in the next three holes before he dropped a shot on 17, his second bogey of the day. Once again, the Ndola Golf Club player was able to make up for that dropped shot; birdieing the last to seal a round of five-under 67.

The Zambian has played four Altron Big Easy Tour events this season, finishing 16^th, 25^th, ninth and 13^th respectively in those events, something he attributes to a trip he made to the United State.

“My coach is over there (USA) and we’ve been planning to get together for a while because there were elements of my game I felt needed to be worked on,” Moore revealed after his round. “So, after the last season of the Sunshine Tour – during the break – I decided to skip the first two tournaments and go see him because even though I have been playing decently, I still want to be competitive.

“That trip was much needed because it’s improved a lot of what I wanted to work on. I needed to work on my technique; the swing, my take-away wasn’t what I wanted it to be and my lower body, transitioning better on the downswing. I’m still getting used to it but I am happy that there is progress. There are some flashes here and there and I am happy with it.”

Now, heading into the final round perched at the summit of the leaderboard, albeit by a slender lead, Moore is clear about what he needs to do to compete for honours in the final round here at Kyalami.

“It’s exciting to go into the final round leading,” added Moore. “Obviously, you want to get into those positions a lot more, even on the Sunshine Tour, because the only way is up, from there. It’s the sort of experience you cannot pay for. So, tomorrow is the same game plan. I have been aggressive where I needed to be and a bit safe where I needed to be safe. Fairways and greens.”

Moore will know all about Jarvis after the amateur’s exploits in the last two years and will want to bring his best game on Wednesday. Jarvis is but a shot adrift and second on the leaderboard, a position he is familiar with. Luke Trocado is third on eight-under while the duo of Musiwalo Nethunzwi and overnight co-leader, Chris Swanepoel share fourth on seven-under-par.

The Big Easy Tour was founded in 2011 with support from Ernie Els and counts current international star Christiaan Bezuidenhout among its former Order of Merit winners.