De Jongé out to impress Price

Sport
ZIMBABWE’s leading professional golfer Brendon De Jongé will be hoping that his impressive second round 65 at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on Saturday caught the eye of his mentor and compatriot Nick Price.

ZIMBABWE’s leading professional golfer Brendon De Jongé will be hoping that his impressive second round 65 at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on Saturday caught the eye of his mentor and compatriot Nick Price.

SPORTS REPORTER

Price, who is the Internationals captain for next month’s biannual President’s Cup, is expected to make his captain’s pick for the team to face the US team from October 1-6 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

The top 10 players on the President’s Cup standings after this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Massachusetts will automatically secure places in the team and Price will then round up his 12-member team with his selections tomorrow (Wednesday).

The Harare-born De Jongé significantly improved his chances of making the team after firing a bogey-free six-under-par 65 in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship to easily make the cut at eight-under 134.

He followed up with a solid two-under-par 69 in the third round on Sunday to sit in a tie for 21st position on the leaderboard ahead of the final round which was expected to take place last night.

The former St Johns’ College student, however, said he didn’t expect his performance on Saturday to change Price’s mind about his potential captain’s pick.

“I think he’s got a pretty good idea who it’s going to be,” De Jongé said. “It’s kind of hard to base it off in one week.”

As things stand, Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day, South Africans Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Richard Sterne, and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama have all but secured their spots to take on the US as they hold the top 10 spots on the International Team points list.

Next in line for possible selection are South Africa’s Tim Clark (11th), Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee (12th), Australian Marc Leishman (13th) and South African George Coetzee (14th).

De Jongé is 15th on the points list, although his chances may improve if Oosthuizen, who has been sidelined with an injury since the John Deere Classic, is unable to join the team later this year at Muirfield Village.

Price is also something of a mentor to De Jongé and is very much aware of his compatriot’s potential.

“We talk a lot, but not about the President’s Cup. I’ve kind of left that one alone,” De Jongé said. “It would be the highlight of my career. Playing for Nick would be the added incentive.”