Marcus Kinhult will follow up Thursday's stunning 65 with a second-round 68 on another hot day at Leopard Creek Country Club. The Alfred Dunhill Championship went into the weekend with a three-stroke lead.
The Swede started the day with a one-stroke advantage after posting his lowest score of the afternoon on a hot day one.
He continued to impress on Friday, taking advantage of cooler conditions in the morning before temperatures rose late in the round.
The 28-year-old's only DP World Tour title to date came at the 2019 Betfred British Masters, where he totaled seven birdies and three pines in a 68. bogey, reaching 11 under par.
None of the afternoon starters could catch Kimholt at the top, with local player Dean Burmester, England's Dale Whitnell and Italy's Andrea Andrea Pavan came closest at 8 under.
After starting the second round with a bogey, Kimhut recovered with consecutive birdies on the third and fourth holes, then added another birdie on the sixth hole.
He missed again on the par-3 seventh hole, but on the eighth hole, he came back with a score of 33.
Kinghut got off to a lightning start on the back nine, birdying Nos. 10, 11 and 13 to move to 12 under before bogeying the long 15th. .
He then hit a crucial par putt from about 10 feet on the 16th hole to avoid further damage, and made safe pars on the final two holes to create a formidable total that no one can match. .
“It was hot,” Kinghut said. “I would say it was actually okay this morning, but after five or six holes, I put up an umbrella and tried to hide under it for most of the day.
“It’s a good day so I’m happy.
“Yesterday was really good and I was really happy with that round. I felt like I played well today as well, but I didn’t take full advantage of the par 5s today. I think that’s the only difference.
“But I'm not frustrated. It was a good result today and I'm looking forward to playing two more rounds.
“Hopefully we can keep improving and see where we go.”
