Staff WriterBy the time Neil Schietekat tapped in for birdie on the 18th green at Wingate Park Country Club, the rest of the field in the Sunbet Challenge knew they had a problem on their hands.
The 39-year-old South African torched the back nine for six birdies en route to an opening-round 64, snatching a one-shot lead in a gusty opening round of this Sunshine Tour event hosted by Time Square.
Schietekat, a man who’s ridden more rollercoasters than a carny, was two under at the turn before lighting it up down the stretch—thanks, in part, to a driver behaving better than most toddlers in church.
“I did hit my driver really good, so the par fives on the back nine gave me birdie opportunities that I took. I didn’t miss a single fairway on the back nine and made the putts that I needed to make,” he said, casually understating a round that looked like vintage Neil.
But this wasn’t a stroll in the park—more like a dance in a wind tunnel. Crosswinds bullied balls all afternoon, and Wingate’s tree-lined fairways don’t exactly forgive poor judgement.
“Overall, it was windy out there so my gameplan was to try and get the ball as close as possible to the green, but the cross winds made it quite tough,” Schietekat added.
Still, his 64 was the best score of the day, and a bit of welcome sunshine after what he admits has been a cloudy season.
“It’s been a tough year and golf is a crazy game – you have some highs and you have some lows. You just have to remember the highs, because sometimes the lows last a little bit longer.”
The Chase is On
James Mack sits just one shot adrift after a blemish-free 65, the only player among the top 10 to keep his card clean. That’s the golfing equivalent of wearing a white suit to a BBQ and leaving without a stain.
Meanwhile, Jacques Blaauw, Jean-Paul Strydom and Martin Vorster all punched in tidy six-under 66s, good enough to share third and keep themselves very much in the Sunbet Challenge conversation heading into Thursday.
Luis Carrera, who’s made himself quite at home on South African soil, carded a 67. The Mexican star sits second on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit and is proving that long-haul flights and unfamiliar kikuyu aren’t slowing him down.
And keep an eye on Yurav Premlall. Just days removed from a gut-wrenching playoff loss at the Vodacom Origins of Golf, the youngster fired a three-under 69 and remains within striking distance—especially if his putter stays warm.
Looking Ahead
With winds forecast to ease and greens likely to firm up, the second round of the Sunbet Challenge could see a reshuffling at the top—but Schietekat, with a history of grinding through form slumps, has clearly decided he’s had enough of mediocrity.
One round down. Three to go. And if Wednesday was any indication, Wingate Park won’t be handing out low numbers without a little sweat, swagger, and maybe a stiff drink afterwards.
