Staff WriterThe Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship barely had time to rub the sleep out of its eyes before Samuel Simpson stormed out with an eight-under-par 64, taking command of the leaderboard at St Francis Links.
The Fitch & Leedes PGA hasn’t always been kind to early starters, but Simpson turned the dawn shift into a personal advantage, ripping through the course with the kind of calm aggression that wins trophies, not participation ribbons.
Simpson knew he had done something special the moment he signed his card.
“I’m really happy with today’s round. I think any time you step on St Francis Links, no matter what the weather is, you’ll take that score.
Teeing off early this morning was a big advantage, and according to early weather forecasts it was definitely a benefit,” he said, after a morning that produced seven birdies, one eagle, and a lone blemish.
With a two-shot lead over a rejuvenated Hennie du Plessis — who returned a tidy 66 — Simpson looked less like a man riding a hot streak and more like someone settling into a blueprint he trusts.
His plan was simple: strip golf back to its bones.
“My gameplan and main priority around this course was to make my pars, and hit the fairways and greens. I’ve had to reign myself back and learn how to do that. It’s funny how I can sometimes gather momentum from that and make one or two putts, like today.
The bogey on the par-three seventh hole was a bit frustrating though, as I’ve hit a good shot straight through the wind. That is however part of playing at the coast and in these types of conditions,” Simpson admitted.
There’s no delusion here — just a grounded player who knows that St Francis can bite just as easily as it rolls over. And with the weather forecast muttering threats for the days ahead, he’s bracing himself for a battle.
“I think going into the next three days, the gameplan is to have the acceptance that bad stuff can happen, even after executing a shot well. According to the weather report the next three days will be very hard, so I need to just keep hitting the fairways and greens in regulation and have a good attitude about good and bad golf shots. I’ve been working hard this year to give myself a bit of grace,” he said.
Grace might be the theme, but there’s grit underneath. This is the same player who claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour title at the Mopani Zambia Open in June — a turning point he hasn’t been shy to acknowledge.
“Having the win earlier this year has been a real blessing to qualify for the next couple of events. Playing off that momentum, knowing that I am capable of doing it out here, is a big boost and I really want to do that again. Whether that is this week or a few years down the line, I am pushing for that,” he said.
Momentum, belief, and the hunger to do it again — it’s a compelling mix heading into a stormy run-in at the Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship.
The event enjoys the backing of Stinger GC, Momentum, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Cape St Francis, Telkom and the PGA of South Africa — a stacked roster behind one of the Sunshine Tour’s standout weeks.
If Simpson keeps swinging with this much conviction, they might all end up cheering the same man come Sunday.
