South Africa’s James Kingston pulled ahead of the field after shooting a second round 66, to take a one stroke advantage going in to the final round of MCB Championship at Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles – but the golfing paradise could have the final say in deciding the overall winner and the €275,000 prize fund.
Constance Lemuria
Set in on the beautiful island of Praslin, the second largest in the Seychelles, Constance Lemuria boasts one of the most idyllic finishes in professional golf. The closing six holes wear out the storage on camera phones but don’t let their short yardages deceive you. All six holes are birdie opportunities but they can also throw up some unexpected bogies or worse!
“Whenever you put yourself in the mix coming into the last round you’ve got to give yourself a decent chance,” Kingston said. “I’ve played pretty solid all season so I’m looking forward to the final round.
“I felt like I played really solid golf today and delighted to finish by birdieing the last four holes.The back nine, especially the last few holes, it’s actually easier to set yourself up with birdie opportunities. Even though the elevation plays a big role I still think there are more opportunities on the back nine.”
Hole 13 – Par 4 – 337 yards
You need to make sure you find the fairway off the tee, as controlling spin with your approach is essential. Here you don’t want to be playing a full shot in as the green slopes dramatically from back to front and too much zip will see your approach come rolling back off the front edge. Always play for the back of the green!
Hole 14 – Par 4 – 339 yards
The hole plays all its length up hill, with the fairway sloping from left to right. Jungle guards the left edge and there isn’t much room on the right. The pins are always located on the top right shelf so distance control is essential. You don’t want to leave a tricky downhill put, as it will run away from you.
Hole 15 – Par 3 – 165 yards
The iconic tee shot. But the severe slope means you have to knock close to 60 yards off the listed yardage, as it only plays close to 100 yards. This is something the pros have got accustomed to so a definite birdie opportunity. Though the wind con play havoc from this elevated tee.
Hole 16 – Par 5 – 477 yards
Two well struck hybrids will see the pros look to set up precious eagle opportunity here. This is where a shift in the leader board could happen. A slightly off-line tee or approach shot might only result in a par, but that would feel like a dropped shot. Some players have made double on this hole, so it can also bite back if you take too much on.
Hole 17 – Par 3 – 137 yards
Another short par three that drops in elevation but the long green offers no real problems and again this is a relatively straight forward hole that should serve up some wanted last minute birdies.
Hole 18 – Par 5 – 517 yards
What better way to close out an event with a true ‘knee-knocker’ of a tee shot. This hole anything could happen. If you are leading with a two-shot advantage the safe play would be a long iron or hybrid and just find the centre of the fairway, or even play short enough to take the bunker out of play on the right side. If you are needing to birdie or eagle then you need to be long enough to play an approach that can hold the green. Sounds straight forward but it’s not. Jungle guards the whole left-hand side of the fairway and water protects the right side along with the front of the green.
The finish proves you don’t require monsterous yardages to set up a dramatic finish. Constance Lemuria illustrates how the scenery can take centre stage.
My tip for the closing round
James Kingston and Peter Wilson are the only two players to shoot two rounds in the 60s but I would keep a close eye on the gritty Argentinian Mauricio Molina. He’s currently 14thon the order of merit and is starting to get to grips with the course. Though he’s still to master the tricky closing holes. Stephen Dodd is another player that has found an abundance of birdies this week but he’s also come unstuck a few times, having carded six bogies in his second round.
It’s all to play for in paradise!
By Alex Gallemore
