Toto Thimba feels that an aggressive approach and a change of putter is paying dividends following his four-under-par 68 second round of the Cape Town Open presented by Sun International on Friday.
Thimba carded his second successive 68 at the King David Mowbray to get himself into a good position going into the weekend and says his only objective is to win ahead of his home open, the Tshwane Open next week.
‘This week my mind just switched,’ he said.
‘I told myself that I am going to play aggressive golf. This track is a small track, it reminds me of the old days when I used to play inter-provincial golf. I putted very well and I just want to win.’
His aggression showed in the second round as he made four birdies on the front nine, only to lose his gains through the two bogeys he made on the 7th and 8th. He didn’t relent on the back nine, making birdie on the 10th, bogey on the 11th, followed by a par and three straight birdies. He made another birdie on the 17th to take his total to 10-under par for the week but made a double on the last hole to settle for eight under.
‘I was unfortunate on the last where I made a double. I was ten under at that stage and leading and I made double a there,’ Toto noted.
‘But, I’m playing good. I’ve been playing well but my putting has been letting me down so I worked on my putting. I’ve also been working on my swing with my dad, went back to my old swing and now I feel a bit more confident with my swing.’
Following his performance at the BMW SA Open hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni where he came 67th, the member of the Gary Player Class 2017-18 has been in good form and a solid finish here will set him up nicely going to the capital city next week.
‘I’m very excited to be playing next week,’ he confessed.
‘I am playing well currently, and honestly, the way I am playing right now, I don’t see why I can’t win. I just want to win.’
The Gary Player Class, of which Thimba is a squad member, is the Sunshine Tour’s development programme which benefits from the longstanding support of the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB), founded in 1999 by Johann Rupert as the official body for golf development in South Africa, as well as the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation (EEFF) in a collective effort to use golf to improve the lives of disadvantaged South Africans.
Credit: Sunshine Tour
Photo: Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images
