Hennie Otto was indeed in cruising mode on Friday as he signed for a course record 11-under-par 61 to surge into a five-stroke lead going into the weekend of the Vodacom Championship at Pretoria Country Club. 

Otto closed off his round of 10 birdies, an eagle and one bogey with five consecutive birdies, and heads the field on 18-under-par 126, which is also a 36-hole scoring record on the Sunshine Tour. It eclipses the 127 set by Jean Hugo at the halfway mark of the Swaziland Open in 2008. 

And Otto came inches close to a 60 when his eagle putt on the last just stayed out. 

“If I’d made that putt on the last, it would’ve been a perfect round, But I played really well. I didn’t hit one bunker today, and that makes a difference on this golf course.”" said Otto, who is chased by Jbe Kruger and Thomas Aiken on 13 under.

What’s also made a difference is Otto’s new approach to his game, golf clubs and life. Still dogged by injury, Otto does not practice and instead only hits balls to warm up before a tournament. 

And then there’s the turnaround in his life, sparked by a rebirth of his Christian faith. 

Earlier in the round, Kruger had set the target at 13 under with his 66. But in the afternoon, there was no answer for Otto’s sublime golf.After his bogey on the second, he went to the turn with four birdies and an eagle in five holes. And he followed this with a back nine of 30. By the way, you can pick up discount golf clubs from our store if you need. 

Amidst all of it, he even had time to give playing partner Richard Sterne a few hunting tips. 

Aiken moved ominously into contention with a 66 which he had to work hard for at a time when he is not fully comfortable with his mental approach to the game.

Tiger Woods and Seven deadly sins

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Bob McDonald, who is also chairman of the Cincinnati-based consumer products company, says he doesn’t know whether golfer Tiger Woods will ever appear in another Gillette commercial, and everyone else wonders when he’ll next appear in a televised golf tournament.

McDonald says P&G wishes Woods the best on his efforts to work on family issues, after Woods’ public apology for infidelity last Friday.

The comments came as others with ties to Woods await word on his plans to return to the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, WFTV.com in Orlando, Fla., says Woods and his wife have offered a personal apology for media attention to parents of children at the preschool that their 2-year-old daughter attends.

Woods said last week he plans to return to golf, but doesn’t know when, leaving the possibility of upcoming major PGA events such as the Masters running on television without him as a drawing card. Tournaments in which Woods isn’t playing generally suffer a drop in viewership and a loss of advertising revenue(not discount golf clubs), says Larry Novenstern, executive vice president of Optimedia.

For Procter & Gamble, Woods still appears online among the “Gillette Champions,” but new commercials for a Gillette shaver and related products feature baseball’s Derek Jeter and tennis’ Roger Federer but not Woods. The three were in Gillette’s major advertising campaign last year.

P&G unit Gillette signed Woods to a contract in 2007; Gillette officials decline to say its length and value. AT&T Inc. and Accenture dropped Woods completely in the weeks after the first revelations about his personal life. Gillette was among sponsors that de-emphasized him in their golf clubs marketing.

Meanwhile, McDonald said P&G is pleased with returns so far on its biggest Olympic involvement yet, as a sponsor of the U.S. team in Vancouver and also of individual athletes. He mentioned speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, who set a U.S. team record by winning his seventh Winter Olympics medal, appearing in Vicks cold medicine commercials.

With television ratings up amid a strong U.S. team performance, P&G is running a “Thank you, Mom” advertising campaign that has included help with travel expenses for athletes’ mothers.

Tiger Woods and Seven deadly sins

Why men cheat

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Ruling on consecutive shots around the fifth green in the final round was propounded by Dustin Johnson for at Pebble Beach. One was for relief from the grandstands, the other because his chip came to rest in a sprinkler head.

But what if the official is nowhere around and the group has to wait until one arrives?

The European Tour has a new policy this year aimed at making sure players know common rules, and encouraging them not to call for a ruling on the most routine drops.

Europe’s top two officials, John Paramor and Andy McFee, have finished making a DVD that educates players on simple rulings(such as the general rules when you use golf clubs). If they deem that a player has asked for a ruling he should know on his own, the player has three tournaments to attend a seminar (and watch the DVD) before he can enter another event.

McFee described some examples as what kind of penalty drop is allowed for unplayable lies and hazards (yellow and red), along with free relief from a sprinkler head or a cart path.

McFee said at Abu Dhabi last month, a player he declined to identify called for an official, who was several holes away. When the official arrived, the player said, “Is it two club lengths if I declare an unplayable?”

In Johnson’s case with the sprinkler, McFee saw no problem. He said some players can go blank on the rules, and even the highest-rated USGA officials are not immune from that (Trey Holland at Oakmont in 1994).

As for relief from the bleachers? McFee said anything involving a temporary immovable object can be tricky, and they would not consider a ruling that involves a TIO to be frivolous.

He said the policy is aimed at all players, with emphasis on the younger players who are reluctant to take drops on their own.

Olympic secrets exposure

Largest marine growth ever caught

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