Francesco Laporta is embracing being in the lead at his "second home" following his second-round 64 at the 2026 Investec South African Open Championship.
The Italian spent three years on the Sunshine Tour between 2013 and 2015, and appeared to utilise his previous experience to great effect as he opened up a one-shot lead over Englishman Nathan Kimsey.
Laporta was one shot behind the four co-leaders after round one, but he carved ahead on his own thanks to seven birdies and one dropped shot to become the only player in double figures at Stellenbosch Golf Club.
Kimsey recorded his 21st successive round of par or better in his flawless 65 to sit at nine under, while 2023 winner Dean Burmester is one shot further back in solo third.
"I played some good golf today. I made some good saves," Laporta said. "This morning there was no wind so I tried to take advantage of that, and the last few holes the wind was coming up so it was getting tricky.
"I had quite good tee-shots today and on this kind of course, if you hit the driver or tee-shot pretty straight you get a lot of opportunities. My tee-shot was the strongest and the short game and the putting was really good.
"I like South Africa, I like to play in South Africa. It's been my second home for a long time and this type of course and grass reminds me a bit of Johannesburg. The course is tough, the fairways are tight and there's a lot of rough so you have to be straight. I like it.
"I'm just trying to enjoy it like last week, I'm feeling good and two days to go."
Laporta, starting on the back nine, kicked off Friday's round with a birdie-birdie start and added another at the 17th to reach the turn at seven under.
Kimsey had already flown up the leaderboard thanks to a hat-trick of birdies from the second before further gains at the ninth and tenth, sitting at the summit on his own at nine under.
However, Laporta went on a birdie blitz, recording four straight birdies from the second, to move two clear as solo leader.
He looked to have matched the lowest score of the week, but he blotted his scorecard with a bogey at the eighth before closing with a par to set the clubhouse target of ten under par.
Burmester was also blemish-free following birdies at the tenth, 15th and fourth in his 67, two adrift of the 35-year-old Italian.
Hennie du Plessis mixed ten birdies and three bogeys in his 63 - which will currently earn him a $100,000 bonus through the Course Record Presented by Nexo should nobody shoot lower this week - and fellow South African Herman Loubser are at seven under alongside England's Joe Dean.
Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Japan's Rikuya Hoshino and Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey are one shot further adrift in a share of seventh, while South African pair Casey Jarvis and Branden Grace and Emirati Adrian Otaegui are at five under.
