Classy Lombard surges into Nedbank lead

South African Zander Lombard produced a brilliant performance on day two of the Nedbank Golf Challenge to open a two-shot lead. World number 234 Lombard’s only error of the day came at the first, where he made a bogey, but six birdies and an eagle over the next 17 holes helped him sign for a fantastic seven-under-par 65. The South African, who is one of nine home players in the field, has moved to the top of the leaderboard on -11 and is two strokes clear of compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, who followed up his nine-under-par 63 on Thursday with a level-par 72. Belgium’s Thomas Detry has sole possession of third on -7, leaving him four shots off the pace, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult share fourth place on -6. Speaking after his round on Friday, Lombard expressed his delight at the performance and says he will continue with an attacking approach over the weekend in Sun City. “It was all positives and I really enjoyed it today,” he told the European Tour. “We were just fighting for a birdie every hole, not looking at the leaderboard or figuring out if we were going to just make par, we were trying to make a birdie every hole. “It was my mindset, I was being aggressive and being positive and it went my way today. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, it seems to be working out there. I’m really placing the ball well and I’ll see if I can do it for the weekend as well.”