Andy DevaneyKeith Horne will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship after surviving a Friday that made par feel rather more glamorous than usual at Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen.
The South African followed his opening 66 with a level-par 72 to reach six-under, one clear of compatriots Darren Fichardt and Hennie Otto on the New Course.
Horne survives the hard half
The scoreboard suggests Horne merely stood still. The weather says otherwise. Strong winds turned the front nine into a defensive examination, and bogeys at the first and seventh could easily have led to a more expensive afternoon.
Instead, Horne kept the damage contained and waited for the course to offer something back. Birdies at the par-five 15th and 18th restored the shots he had lost and, more importantly, left him alone at the top.
“I’m very happy with my position, that’s for sure. Today was tough. The first nine holes were really, really tough out there, straight into the wind,” said Horne, who is looking to win the tournament for the first time.
“My golf today wasn’t as good as yesterday. I didn’t have many birdie chances – it basically consisted of trying to two-putt from 40 or 60 feet for most of the day and hang in there until I managed to get to the closing downwind holes.”
There are prettier ways to lead a flagship event. Few are more useful.
One hybrid changes the mood
The decisive moment of Horne’s round came at the 15th. Playing from a downslope, he sent a hybrid to around 20 feet and converted the chance that followed.
“I hit a really good hybrid into the 15th off a downslope to about 20 feet, and I was really chuffed with that shot.”
It was the sort of strike that matters more in ugly weather: not spectacular for spectacle’s sake, but clean, committed and timed precisely when the round needed rescuing.
Horne, winner of the 2025 Reignwood Legends Championship, also knows the danger of trying to force the issue on a course happy to punish impatience.
“It’s such a tough golf course, you really can’t get ahead of yourself. It’s survival out there really, and that will be the key – just stay in the moment and try and hit the golf shots when I need to.”
South Africans crowd the leaderboard
If Horne looks over his shoulder on Saturday, he will see plenty of familiar company. Fichardt, who shared the first-round lead after a 66, carded a 73 but birdied the 18th to stay within one at five-under.
Otto supplied Friday’s biggest move. Starting the day at level par, the Staysure Legends Tour rookie shot a five-under 67 with six birdies to join Fichardt in second place.
That gives the championship an all-South African top three at halfway, but the chasing group has enough pedigree to prevent anyone ordering the trophy engraving just yet.
Edfors, Drysdale and Donaldson stay close
Johan Edfors, David Drysdale and Jamie Donaldson are all two shots back at four-under.
Edfors, a three-time DP World Tour winner and recent OFX Irish Legends champion, signed for a 69 after coming home in 32.
“I’m happy with the way I’ve been playing. It’s a really tough course – if you miss the fairway, you have to be lucky to find the ball,” he said.
“It’s great to win a tournament again [in Ireland], and I was hoping to ride on that for a while, but I didn’t play too well at the Senior Open and didn’t play all that great down in Portugal either. So it’s nice to feel that the form is back a little bit.”
Drysdale’s presence is more surprising, not least to Drysdale. A back problem in Portugal meant he did not hit a ball again until warming up for Thursday’s opening round.
“I’m a little bit surprised, to be honest. I had a little twinge in my back on Sunday in Portugal and didn’t hit a golf ball until I warmed up yesterday,” said Drysdale.
“I had a lot of physio on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I had no expectations. Maybe that’s the way! I played nicely yesterday, holed a few putts and hit a lot of good shots. Today was a little bit scrappy, but overall I’m pretty pleased.”
Donaldson, meanwhile, posted a second straight 70. A double bogey at the sixth threatened to derail him before birdies at seven and eight steadied the round, with another gain at the last.
Lawrie lurks as the weekend opens up
Local interest has not vanished. Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, shot 69 to move to three-under, while 2005 U.S. Open Champion Michael Campbell sits at two-under after a second-round 76.
The cut has reduced the field to the leading 60 players and ties, but it has done little to reduce the possibilities. Horne owns the lead, not the luxury of one.
On a course where the wind can turn a routine two-putt into a small administrative crisis, Saturday is unlikely to reward impatience. Horne has spent two days proving he understands that. Now he has to do it with everyone chasing him.
