Andy DevaneyBenjamin Kedochim has put himself one round from a maiden Sunshine Tour title after taking a one-shot lead in the FNB Eswatini Challenge at Ezulwini Golf & Country Club.
The French rookie reached 14 under par with a seven-under 65 on Friday, while South Africa’s Wynand Dingle produced the more emphatic reply: a 63 that left him only one behind, close enough to make every leaderboard glance mildly irritating.
Kedochim Turns Control Into a One-Shot Lead
There is a useful difference between looking comfortable and actually being comfortable in tournament golf. Kedochim appears to understand it. His opening round, by his own account, was tidy enough to feel almost uneventful. Friday asked rather more of him.
“My first round was good and flawless. I made my birdies on the par fives to score a round of seven under par like nothing happened. Today was a little trickier. I made more putts but missed a shot on the seventh hole that went into the water, but I managed to save par. I enjoyed the day,” the Frenchman said.
That save on the seventh matters rather more than its solitary line on a scorecard suggests. A ball in the water can turn a promising round into a small administrative disaster. Kedochim instead escaped with par and carried on.
By the end of Friday he had another seven-under round and the narrowest possible cushion.
A Rookie With a Proper Chance at a First Sunshine Tour Title
The attraction of Saturday is obvious. Kedochim is not protecting a luxurious advantage, nor trying to manufacture relevance from somewhere in the middle of the field. He has the thing every professional wants and very few are entirely relaxed about: a genuine chance to win.
“I love playing on the Sunshine Tour. All the players are so welcoming, and the spirit of the Tour is amazing. I was waiting for this opportunity as I haven’t always finished well at the other tournaments, keeping myself from winning. Now I have a chance and I’m happy about it,” Kedochim said.
There is something refreshingly plain in that assessment. No attempt to pretend the occasion is merely another round. It is not.
Kedochim has been candid about failing to finish tournaments as he would have liked. Now he starts the final round of the FNB Eswatini Challenge from precisely where those previous disappointments become useful experience rather than uncomfortable history.
Wynand Dingle’s Putter Changes the Argument
If Kedochim supplied the steadiness, Dingle supplied the low number.
The South African followed a quieter opening effort by leaning heavily on the club capable of making a golfer feel like a genius for roughly four hours.
“Yesterday I was a little bit in idle and didn’t take full advantage of the scoring opportunities. This morning I told myself that I need a good putting round – I had that today. The putter worked well especially on the back nine as I made a 25-footer on the 12th hole and another 30-footer on the 17th hole, both for eagle,” he said.
Two long eagle putts will improve most Fridays.
They also altered the complexion of the tournament, turning Dingle from nearby contender into the man directly behind Kedochim. His 63 leaves little mystery about the equation for the final round: if the putter remains cooperative, the leader will know all about it.
Dingle Knows This Territory, Even if Contention Has Been Scarce
Dingle’s only Sunshine Tour victory came in 2022, a season he remembers as a sequence of increasingly persuasive results.
“That year in 2022 was special for me. I had a third place here in the FNB Eswatini Nkonyeni, followed by a second place at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Highland Gate, before I won my first event at the Vodacom Origins of Golf San Lameer.
“I haven’t been in contention for a while. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but I am looking forward to the challenge. I am hitting the ball well enough. If I can putt like I did today I think I will be in with a good chance. I recently discovered that if you’re a little bit more fun you can do a little bit better, so I will try and enjoy it,” Dingle said.
The final sentence may be the most useful swing thought of the lot. Golf has spent centuries persuading perfectly sensible people to become tense in pursuit of relaxation. Dingle, for the moment at least, appears willing to try the opposite.
FNB Eswatini Challenge Final Round Leaves Little Room for Comfort
One shot separates Kedochim and Dingle heading into Saturday. That is barely a lead. It is more an obligation to keep paying attention.
Kedochim has demonstrated that he can absorb a poor shot without surrendering the round. Dingle has demonstrated what happens if the putter starts behaving as though somebody slipped it an envelope.
The final round therefore has a satisfyingly uncomplicated shape: a French rookie pursuing his maiden Sunshine Tour title against a South African former winner who has rediscovered both contention and, apparently, his sense of humour.
At Ezulwini there is no room left for vague ambition. Kedochim has the lead. Dingle has the scent. Saturday gets to decide who has the trophy.
