Phillips receives a fillip

GOLF

Van Phillips was two shots off the lead yesterday at the half-way stage of the South African PGA tournament at the Wanderers club, Johannesburg. The Englishman, a newcomer to the tour, hit a one-over-par 71 to tie for third place with Wayne Westner, the overnight leader, and Trevor Dodds, of Namibia.

They are one shot behind Ernie Els, the US Open champion, and two adrift of Nic Henning, whose 66 in difficult conditions on his home course gave him a 36-hole total of 135, five under for the tournament.

Henning, the rookie of the year in the 1992-93 South African season, learned his golf on the Wanderers course, where his father, Graham, has been the club professional for 20 years. He played the steadiest golf of the day and did not drop a single shot to par, going out in 34 and coming home in 32 with three successive birdies from the 11th.

"I certainly got a little lucky on the back nine," he said. He holed a putt from 55 feet on the 11th for a birdie, his second of the round.