Edited by Anand Datla
Sullivan, who shared the overnight lead with South African Jbe Kruger, added a 70 to his opening 66 at Glendower Golf Club to finish eight under par, one shot ahead of home favourite Schwartzel.
Schwartzel, who has yet to win his national Open, finished birdie, eagle, birdie to record a 69 after starting his round with consecutive bogeys, while last year’s runner-up Kruger slumped to two over par after a round of 80 featuring five bogeys, two double bogeys and a solitary birdie.
Sullivan, who won a trip into space for a hole-in-one during the KLM Open last year, started on the back nine and picked up shots at the 11th, 12th and 17th to improve to nine under par.
That gave the 27 year old former Walker Cup player a three shot lead before he dropped shots on the fifth and seventh after finding the thick rough off the tee, but a two-putt birdie on the par five eighth – where Schwartzel holed from 20 feet for eagle – kept his nose in front.
Five-time winner and tournament host Ernie Els was among the later starters and a birdie on the second took the 45 year old to six under par and within two shots of the lead.
Sullivan, who recorded four top-five results on his way to finishing 33rd on The Race to Dubai last season, said: “I thought it was going to be a really good knock on the front nine, but a few little errant drives meant the rough got its payback on me today.
“But anything in red figures is good so I am really happy with the position I am in. I thought I did well on eight to make birdie after a couple of smelly holes in the middle.”
As for his prospects of a first win, Sullivan added: “When I get in these positions I find myself enjoying it more. It’s where you want to be, you practise to be in these situations and I am playing with the guys I always wanted to as a kid. It’s fantastic.
“It’s new territory to be up there after two rounds but hopefully I can take what I usually do in rounds and three and four and blow the field away.”
And things went from bad to worse for the four-time Major winner when he also took seven on the tenth, where he failed to escape a fairway bunker at the first attempt and then three-putted from long range after a poor approach. That left Els battling to make the cut on two over par, ten shots behind Sullivan.
- In this article
- Pros
- Andy Sullivan
- ernie els
- South African Open
