Sam Torrance is perfectly placed to retain the Bendinat London Seniors Masters title after a second round 66, six under par, moved the Scotsman three strokes clear going into Saturday’s final round at The London Golf Club.
Torrance is eight under par for his two rounds, three clear of Delroy Cambridge of Jamaica and South African Bertus Smit, who carded rounds of 72 and 67 respectively to move onto five under par 139.
A stroke further back on four under is a quartet of Englishmen - Tony Allen (71), Martin Foster (72), Nick Job (71) and Kevin Spurgeon (73) – and Chilean Guillermo Encina, winner of the 2006 Irvine Whitlock Seniors Classic, who added a second round 73 to his opening 68.
Torrance had started the day four shots behind first round leader John Chillas, a fellow Scot, but was quickly into top gear with a birdie three on the opening hole of the Heritage Course.
He picked up a further shot at the fifth and then holed from 30 foot for an eagle at the next par five, the eighth, to race to the turn in 32.
The two par fives on the back nine, the 12th and 15th, both brought birdies before a dropped shot at the 16th put paid to Torrance’s hopes of equalling his own course record of eight under par 64. However, he finished with a flourish by holing a 15 foot birdie putt at the last for a round of 66.
“That was as solid as I have played all year and apart from the bogey at 16 it could not have been any better. I am making a bit of a habit of being in the final group on Sunday and that is a nice habit to have,” said Torrance, who is chasing his third victory on this year’s European Seniors Tour.
“This is a fantastic golf course, a great test and you have to really concentrate, and that is what I like doing.”
Teeing up alongside Torrance in Saturday’s final round will be Smit, a man who only turned professional in 2000, at the age of 47, after a successful amateur career in his native South Africa.
The two career paths could not have been more different, a fact not lost on Smit, who earned his card at last year’s European Seniors Tour Qualifying School and since then has performed admirably with a best finish to date of tied seventh in Jersey. “I still feel a bit tense as this is my first year but already I find myself in the company of Torrance and you do think, ‘wow!’, how did this happen?
“I will just go out there and enjoy myself tomorrow. The more I play the more confident I get that I can compete. There is more to come as I know I can still hit the ball a bit better,” added Smit after signing for a bogey-free 67 that contained all its birdies over the back nine.
Completing the final group is Cambridge, who is keen to produce a big display and banish the disappointment of his final round 74 when playing in the final group at the season-opening DGM Barbados Open.
"I had a poor round that day," recalled Cambridge. "I will be hoping to play a lot better tomorrow and I am really looking forward to playing with Sam. I have struggled a bit with my game but I am starting to feel a bit better with the club in hand. Today I hit the ball well but putted not so good."
Meanwhile Chillas, the overnight leader, endured a day to forget as he carded two double bogeys and four bogeys in his round of 77, which dropped the Aberdonian back into a share of 12th spot on one under par.
