Daniel Cronje produced a scintillating nine-under 63 on Tuesday to seize a two-stroke advantage at the Betway Big Easy Tour Play Off event at Modderfontein Golf Club.
The South African golfer lit up the course with a bogey-free front nine of 31, setting the foundation for what would become one of the day’s most commanding performances.
“Not often am I leading after the first round, so it’s quite nice to be in the front from the beginning and I’d like to keep it that way for the rest of the week,” said Cronje following his round.
After struggling in the opening two events of 2025, Cronje revealed that recent work with his coach has yielded immediate dividends.
“Honestly, I struggled in the first two events of the year, so I’ve been working with my coach and we found something this week,” Cronje explained. “It showed on the front nine. It was nice to sort of continue that on the back nine.”
Cronje’s back nine proved equally spectacular. He eagled the 10th before dropping his only shot at the 12th, but swiftly recovered with birdies at 13, 16 and 17.
“The bogey was frustrating; it was a three-putt, actually,” Cronje admitted. “But anytime you can make eight birdies and an eagle, a bogey here and there isn’t going to affect you too much.”
Oliver Goldhill sits two strokes behind after carding a seven-under 65. Whilst his front nine featured steady golf with two birdies and one bogey, Goldhill truly ignited on the inward half, collecting six birdies without dropping a shot.
Playing whilst battling illness, Goldhill remained upbeat despite his physical struggles.
“I couldn’t wait to finish the round because I’m quite sick at the moment,” said Goldhill. “But I got it going really nicely, greens are in good nick and I was putting nicely. The last two or three months have been really consistent and I’m just trying to ride that wave.”
This penultimate tournament of the season features only the top 40 players from the Order of Merit, with just the top 30 advancing to March’s final.
The Betway Big Easy Tour serves as the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys support from legendary golfer Ernie Els.
