South African Brandon Stone eagled the final hole to surge into a one-shot lead Friday after two rounds of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club. The 23-year-old with one European Tour win to his credit finished with a three for a round of 66 and a halfway total of 133 over the par-72, 6,663-meter (7,287-yard) layout. Stone is one stroke ahead of defending champion and compatriot Charl Schwartzel, who carded a 68, and Chris Hanson of England, whose 65 was the equal best round of the day. George Coetzee was the other golfer to shoot a 65 and shares fourth place on 135 with fellow South African Keith Horne, who carded a 66. Stone turned professional in 2013, is ranked 107 in the world and his only European Tour triumph came last January when he won the South African Open. His outward nine in the second round included three birdies and a bogey and as he stood on the tee at the final hole he had also managed three birdies and a bogey on the inward journey. Stone hit a green surrounded by water in two strokes and sank the eagle putt to leapfrog Major winner Schwartzel, who had held the second-round lead for much of the day. Schwartzel, bidding to win the competition for a fifth time, had three birdies on each nine only to spoil his card with a double-bogey five at the seventh. The 32-year-old hopes this week to emulate Americans Tom Watson and Tiger Woods and German Bernhard Langer and win the same European Tour event five times. Hanson bagged four birdies on each nine and his sole blemish was a bogey six at 15 on a course that borders the Kruger Park game reserve. Coetzee, winner of three European Tour events, sizzled on the front nine and turned in 29 after six birdies. He had another three birdies on the back nine before a double-bogey six at 17 blotted his card on a hot day in northeastern South Africa. Horne, one of four South Africans among the first five golfers on the leaderboard, had a rollercoaster round that included only six pars. The 45-year-old carded five birdies and one bogey going out and four birdies and two bogeys coming back. Those who missed the cut included 2016 Ryder Cup Europe captain Darren Clarke from Northern Ireland, who followed up a first-round 78 with a four-over 76. A triple-bogey seven at the sixth was the low point of a round that finished with a birdie four for the 2011 British Open champion. Fellow Irishman Paul Dunne, who shared the first-round lead with Schwartzel on 66, faded to a 73 and is six shots off the pace.
