Persistent rain and lightning again disrupted play in Johannesburg, but when the clouds briefly cleared, Robinson Thompson grabbed his opportunity with both hands. The Englishman played inspired golf during that window, putting himself firmly in contention for the title.

The closest challenger in the clubhouse is America’s Sean Crocker, who signed for a 65 to sit on nine-under-par.

Wilco Nienaber - Morgan Piek

With the weather forcing another suspension of play, the second round will only be completed on Saturday morning, leaving several players with a chance to still shake up the leaderboard.

South Africans Jayden Schaper and Ruan Korb are both on seven-under-par and still out on the course, while Luke Brown and Louis Albertse are the leading local players in the clubhouse at the same mark after posting second rounds of 67 and 65 respectively.

Robinson-Thompson admitted he was almost more relieved that any golf was played at all on Friday than he was thrilled about his superb round.

“I had a lot of fun out there,” said Robinson-Thompson.

“I was up at 3:45am and honestly didn’t think we’d get any golf in with the weather forecast. But we did manage to get out and play, and I really enjoyed it.”

One of the standout moments of his round came on the par-four 13th, where he holed out for a spectacular eagle.

“That’s actually my first one on Tour,” he said. 

Jayden Schaper - Morgan Piek

“It was about a 100-yard shot and the pin was set up perfectly. The ball pitched just past the hole and spun back in. It’s a very cool feeling to hole out like that.”

With the rest of the field still trying to complete their rounds, Robinson Thompson knows plenty can still change on the leaderboard. But he is relishing the prospect of being in the hunt going into the weekend.

“I’ve been in the mix before and I love that feeling of competing,” he said. 

“Whatever happens, I can guarantee you I’ll enjoy the challenge.”

Bloemfontein’s Wilco Nienaber, who is a former Dimension Data Pro-Am champions, was in tied for nineth on six-under-par with among other, the newly crowned South African Open champion, Casey Jarvis.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport