South Africans at home at Waialae

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist

South Africa?

Between the wind — a gusty 15-to-20 mph of the near-Kona variety yesterday — and the low 80-degree temperatures, "it feels like you're playing on the coast in Cape Town," observed Retief Goosen, a native of South Africa. "It feels a lot like back home."

Maybe that's why the contingent of South African players have made themselves so much at home on the Waialae Country Club course at this, the halfway point of the 72-hole Sony Open.

A glance at the leader board, where three South Africans figure in the first eight places, suggests a definite South African Open flavor to this Hawai'i event.

Never mind that when the real South African Open was played last week in Cape Town, most of the South African stars, some of whom played in the Mercedes Championships last week instead, were here.

From Phalaborwa to Pietersburg and Johannesburg to Durban, the South Africans have been coming ... and scoring.

There's Goosen, who has held a share of the lead both days, the latest with Australian Aaron Baddeley at 10-under-par 130 after yesterday's 66.

Lurking a stroke back is Ernie Els, record winner of last week's Mercedes, and, to hear the leaders tell it, still the man to beat for this $810,000 payday. Four strokes off the pace is Brenden Pappas at 134. Nine back is Rory Sabbatini.

"These days there's a number of us playing at a very good level around the world," Goosen said.

Indeed, the threesome to watch here the last two days has, for the most part, been an Afrikaans-speaking one. Goosen and Els, who have found themselves paired each of the past two days for the first time in a year.

The Big — and little — Easy as some have taken to calling them. "When we're together," Goosen said, "we usually speak Afrikaans. Otherwise, it depends upon if we want the other person to know what we're saying."

Presumably they're talking about the growing prospects of a South African showdown for the title come tomorrow.

"He (Els) is hitting the ball better than me the last couple of days, but I'm holing a few more putts," Goosen said. "But the way he's playing now, if he gets his putter going, I think he's the player to beat."

How long the South African charge holds up on a course where no South African has won in the combined 38-year history of the Hawaiian and Sony opens remains to be seen.

But as long as the wind blows and the South Africans maintain their mastery of it, somebody might have to come up with the words to "Lord Bless Africa" for the awards ceremony.