Staff WriterThe ABSA Ladies Invitational had the look of a tournament being played with one eye on the clock and the other on the sky on Friday, but Nadia van der Westhuizen handled the chaos better than anyone. After a day that demanded patience, stamina and a decent relationship with adversity, she finished as the clubhouse leader at 11 under par with Royal Johannesburg still waiting for the second round to be completed.
Play was suspended because of bad light, which rather summed up the mood of a week already shoved around by weather. The second round will resume at 06h15 on Saturday morning, with the third and final round not set to begin before 09:00.
That left Van der Westhuizen four shots clear of Tina Mazarino, who also completed her round and signed for a 68. Behind them, the leaderboard still has a pulse. Sanna Nuutinen stood on seven under through eight holes of her second round, while Doris Chen was also on seven under through five when the hooter went.
A long day, and then some
The ABSA Ladies Invitational has turned into a test of endurance as much as shot-making, and nobody embodied that more than Van der Westhuizen.
After the weather disruption on the opening day, she returned on Friday morning to complete her first round, doing so in fine style with a 65 to take a one-shot lead. Then came the second shift, and there was nothing particularly glamorous about it. This was working golf: long hours, changing light, shifting momentum, and the need to stay sharp while the body starts asking awkward questions.
“I am extremely happy about the first round. I haven’t had a bogey-free round in a very long time, I can’t even remember when last that happened,” she said.
That first-round card gave her the platform. The second round, a 68, gave her control.
Fast out of the gate, steady through the grind
Van der Westhuizen’s day was not merely long. It was 32 holes long, which is the golfing equivalent of being asked to run a second race just after finishing the first and then being told not to spill your tea while doing it.
She admitted the opening nerves were there, which is no surprise. Leading a tournament is one thing. Leading one while trying to finish what feels like a week’s worth of golf in a single day is another.
“I managed to finish 32 holes today to also finish the second round. I was a little bit nervous on the first tee, so starting with three birdies calmed the nerves a little bit. I did hit a few good shots during the round, but the putter was a bit cold. The birdie on the last hole almost topped the day for me – finishing it off strong,” she added.
That passage tells you nearly everything about her Friday. The start settled her, the ball-striking kept her upright, and even with a putter that was not exactly throwing a party, she still managed to widen the gap.
In a weather-hit ABSA Ladies Invitational, that is how tournaments are often won. Not with fireworks every five minutes, but with sensible aggression, tidy damage control and enough nerve to keep the whole thing from wobbling.
The chasing pack still has a say
There is, of course, asterisk-shaped tension hanging over the leaderboard.
Mazarino is the nearest completed challenger after her own 68, and a four-shot deficit is sizeable without being fatal. Nuutinen and Chen, meanwhile, remain unfinished business. Both were well placed at seven under when play was halted, and either could yet apply pressure once the second round resumes.
That is the small complication with a stop-start event. The leaderboard may look settled, but until everyone has finished the same job, the thing remains slightly wet cement.
Still, Van der Westhuizen has done the smart part. She posted a number. She made the others chase it. In an event disrupted by weather and bad light, that matters.
Strategy, not swagger, for the final round
What now? More of the same, by the sound of it.
Van der Westhuizen has already recorded two top-10 finishes this season, and there is enough evidence here to suggest she knows exactly what sort of golf this course demands. Royal Johannesburg is not a place for vanity. It asks for judgement, discipline and the occasional refusal to do something silly.
“I think I will stick to the same gameplan. My caddie and I have really been working hard together trying to manage the scores as it is a tough course. I will be trying to give myself as many chances as possible, be aggressive when I need to, and know when not to be aggressive,” Van Der Westhuizen said.
That is a mature answer and, more importantly, probably the correct one.
The final round of the ABSA Ladies Invitational is now shaping up as a contest between momentum and management. The players behind her may arrive with fewer holes in the legs and perhaps a little more freedom. Van der Westhuizen, on the other hand, has the lead, the score on the board, and the evidence of a player who has already handled a day full of interruptions without losing her shape.
What it means heading into Saturday
If this tournament has taught us anything already, it is that clean plans can be blown apart by weather, fading light and simple fatigue. Yet Van der Westhuizen has come through all of that looking the steadiest player in the field.
She starts Saturday with the clubhouse lead at 11 under and with the ABSA Ladies Invitational very much leaning in her direction. That does not mean the trophy is engraved. It means she has earned the right to make everyone else do something special.
And after 32 holes in a single day, that is a rather handy position to be in.
