Amateur trio targets Freddie Tait Cup weekend charge

27 February 2026 – Dian Kruger, Charl Barnard and Logan Leisher will carry the amateur hopes into the weekend at the Investec South African Open Championship , as all three GolfRSA National Squad members pursue the coveted Freddie Tait Cup at Stellenbosch Golf Club.

Kruger leads the trio after a hard-earned two-under-par 68 lifted him to two-under and a share of 30th at the halfway stage of the championship.

Starting on the 10th, he opened with a bogey but steadied himself quickly. “Honestly, that was a good bogey,” Kruger said. “I just tried to stick to my game plan, stick to my shots.”

He admitted to early nerves before finding his rhythm. “I was a little bit nervous after the first two holes, but after that I almost started to relax a little bit.” Even a double-bogey on 16 failed to derail him. “I always feel like a good bounce back is more important than necessarily even making a double,” he said, responding with three birdies to secure his weekend place.

“It would be nice to win it, but I know Charl (Barnard) is still out there and in contention,” said Kruger. “The Freddie Tait Cup is a big trophy, but we are out here to learn. That’s what I want to do and that’s what I’m doing. If you try and do as well as you can in the tournament, I feel like the Freddie Tait Cup will just come as well, as another bonus.”

At two-under-par for the championship, Kruger was eight strokes off the halfway lead, held by Francesco Laporta.

The Italian signed for a six-under 64 to reach 10-under-par and led by one from England’s Nathan Kimsey (65), while South Africa’s Dean Burmester was on eight-under after a 67. Hennie du Plessis had the low round of the day with a seven-under 63 and shared fourth with England’s Joe Dean and South Africa’s Herman Loubser.

A closing birdie sealed a one-under 68 and a level-par total ensured redemption for Barnard, who missed the cut in his debut last year at Durban Country Club.

“I’m very pleased,” Barnard said. “It was very stressful out there. I’m really happy to improve on last year and make the cut.”

He credited patience in the wind for his progress. “The holes into the wind I kind of had to just get my par and walk away. And then the downwind holes I knew I could capitalise.”

Like Kruger, he started with a bogey. “The wind was up and hole 10 was playing straight into the wind, so it was a tough hole. But my brother told me all good rounds start with a bogey, so I guess he was right.”

He birdied 13 and 18 and dropped another shot on 16, but was flawless on the homeward stretch, picking up a crucial birdie on the sixth. “The birdie on six was really, really good,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t birdie five, the par-five, which was not my plan. But yeah, I’m very, very happy with how it went.”

He is not getting ahead of himself in the Freddie Tait Cup race. “I’m not really thinking about it,” he said. “Just trying to play the tournament is enough, and whatever happens there happens.”

Leisher’s ambitions of a professional football career were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting him to take up golf simply to fill the void. The pastime quickly became a passion. He surged through the amateur ranks, and a fourth-place finish in the GolfRSA Open Amateur Rankings earned him his first start in the national Open.

He mixed a birdie with seven pars through his first eight holes, but lost ground with back-to-back bogeys around the turn. Needing birdies coming home to make the cut on debut, the 21-year-old delivered late fireworks.

“I reached the 16th knowing I needed at least one more birdie to have a chance to make the cut, and I shot the wrong distance and flew the green. The pressure was on. Thank God I managed to make a birdie on 17 and hole the 25-footer on 18 as well,” Leisher said after signing for a 69 to finish at one-over.

“Those two birdies at the end were something special for me. First SA Open. First real professional event. To be able to make the cut for the first time is just incredible. And I’ve had lots of fun. It’s been an amazing experience, so far.”

With three amateurs still standing, the Freddie Tait Cup race heads into the weekend and the chase is firmly on.

For the rest of the amateurs, it was a short week. Jack Buchanan missed the cut by one after a second day of his driver not co-operating, while Judd Sundelson and Matthew Rossouw were well out of it after rounds of 76 left them on seven-over and 12-over respectively.