Conradie in driver’s seat in Hyundai Open

Estiaan Conradie has been as consistent as a car windscreen wiper all season, and he heads into the weekend of the Hyundai Open with a one-stroke lead and once again chasing a win on the Sunshine Tour.

Conradie leads the field on 13 under par after signing for a second round of 65 at the Ebotse Links on Friday.

But behind him, DP World Tour champion Yurav Premlall posted a 65 of his own to end the day one shot behind him.

And Adam Breen’s comeback to the Sunshine Tour continues to bear fruit as he signed for a 67 to also share second place on 12 under, with 36 holes remaining.

And within two shots of Conradie on 11 under is a pack of proven winners on the Tour including Courier Guy Order of Merit leader and three-time winner this season, Samuel Simpson, Rwanda Open champion Kyle de Beer, FBC Zimbabwe Open champion Altin van der Merwe, and multiple Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour champion JC Ritchie.

But Conradie has been building towards something special all season, with four top-10s already. And there was no better indication of his current form than his assessment of his position this week.

“I’m happy with where I’m at,” he said after a round featuring only one bogey.

“It was a good day. Only one bogey through 36 holes is always good. I managed to safely keep the ball in play today and hit a lot of fairways.”

The Gauteng heatwave remains a challenge for the course and the players.

“I teed off early and the course felt a little bit tougher this morning, with a bit of breeze out there. It kind of died down a little bit, but I think there was still more wind than yesterday. The course is also still drying out with the current heatwave. But I’m happy to be up there going into the weekend and hopefully I can just keep it up and keep going.”

The weekend also holds plenty of opportunity for Breen. Having worked his way back onto the Sunshine Tour, he’s looking to take full advantage over the next two rounds.

“I was very solid today tee to green. I gave myself a lot of chances again which was nice. I’m very pleased with a bogey-free round. I’m keen for the weekend. I think it’s going to be a good challenge for me. I haven’t been in contention in a while so it’s nice to be in the mix again,” he said.