Craig Howie close to lead after fearing early exit in Cape Town due to 'rough night'

Peebles player takes ‘Route 66’ up leaderboard in Challenge Tour event in South Africa

Craig Howie watches a tee shot during day two of the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture: Johan Rynners/Getty Images.

Craig Howie has the leaders in his sights at the halfway stage of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open after fearing he might have to pull out before the second round due to stomach issues.

The Peebles player catapulted himself up the leaderboard with a six-under-par 66 in the second circuit at Royal Cape Golf Club, jumping more than 40 spots into a tie for 13th on seven under.

“I’m delighted as I had a pretty rough night last night, so I am quite happy just to be around for the weekend, to be honest,” admitted Howie, who sits just two shots off a logjam for the lead in the second event of the new Challenge Tour season.

“I didn’t expect it as I had some bad stomach issues last night and this morning. Driving to the golf course, I wasn’t totally sure I was going to play so to get off to a fast start (with two birdies in his first three holes) was unexpected.

“The good thing about not feeling great is that my expectations were so low and generally that’s when you play your better stuff, so it may have had its benefits in the end.”

On the back of his seven-birdie salvo, Howie sits two shots ahead of Euan Walker after his bogey-free 69 while Daniel Young and Jack McDonald slipped to four and three under respectively after matching 73s.

Ten players are tied for the lead, including English trio James Allan, Alfie Plant and Sam Hutsby, as well as Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, who lost in a marathon play-off in the 2019 Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

On the DP World Tour, Richie Ramsay produced a burst around the turn in the second round to join Ewen Ferguson, Stephen Gallacher and Scott Jamieson in making the cut in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club.

Up at 3.40am for his early tee time, the Edinburgh-based Aberdonian was battling to make the cut before birdie-par-birdie-eagle-birdie as he went on to sign for a 69 to progress with a shot to spare in the end on one over.

“Though I had a couple of bogeys at the end, I played really well,” reported Ramsay. “The course is paying really well and I think the club deserves a lot of credit for the way they have changed the greens and expanded them. The surfaces are excellent.

“You definitely have to think out there with the wind and with the Bermuda grass you need to read the lies. It’s the kind of place where you feel you can definitely shoot a score but a lot of the time come off very frustrated, so it was nice to have a bit of a fightback from yesterday.”

As Australian Haydn Barron opened up a two-shot lead following opening efforts of 68-67 to sit on nine under, Ferguson shot a 71 for three under, with both Gallacher and Jamieson, who eagled his last hole, alongside Ramsay.

In the Ladies European Tour’s season-opener, Laura Beveridge followed her opening 75 with a 76 to make the cut on five over in the Magical Kenya Ladies Open at Vipingo Ridge, where compatriot Kelsey MacDonald withdrew during the second round.