Kempton Park – Ockie
Strydom will take a narrow one-stroke lead into the final round of the
season-ending Tour Championship after he carded a second-round two-under 70 on
moving day to get his total to 14-under-par for the week at Serengeti Golf and
Lifestyle Estate.
He admits to
struggling with his ball-striking, in particular, and as such, failing to back
up his round two score of 63 with another solid round on day three.
“Today was a
bit tough for me,” says Strydom.
“Ball-striking wasn’t there but luckily, with
the round being suspended due to the weather, I found something on the back
nine there. Then, I started hitting the ball well again, but it was a bit too
late. I am happy I managed to go around the golf course on two-under-par with
the ball-striking that went haywire.”
With
dangerous weather conditions proving to be the enemy of skill once again in the
latter stages of the round – and which called for play to be suspended just as
had happened in round two – Strydom had it all to do as he tried to hold on to
his lead.
He made
birdies on the first hole, the fourth and the seventh, but the bogeys he made
on the fifth and the eighth holes took from those gains. His back nine was
quiet too and he made eight pars there which were accompanied by the one birdie
he made on the 16th.
Chasing
closely and just a shot off Strydom’s lead is the trio of Thriston Lawrence who
wants to tin this after he finished second last year, the resurgent Haydn
Porteous and rookie of the year, Garrick Higgo who signed for a 66 in round
three to throw his name in the mix ahead of the final round. They are all
13-under par while Brandon Stone and Luke Jerling aren’t far off the lead
either.
The share
the fifth spot on 12-under for the week. Veteran Keith Horne, who shot the
lowest round of the day – eight-under 64 – and Order of Merit-chasing Daniel
van Tonder lie three shots behind Strydom on 11-under while Jacques Blaauw,
Darren Fichardt and member of the Gary Player Class, Keenan Davidse share ninth
on 10-under-par.
The final
round will be streamed live on the Sunshine Tour Facebook and YouTube platforms
from 10:30 on Sunday.
Leaderboard:
202 – Ockie
Strydom 69 63 70
203 – Garrick
Higgo 67 70 66, Haydn Porteous 67 69 67, Thriston
Lawrence 67 68 68
204 – Luke
Jerling 68 68 68, Brandon Stone 69 65 70
205 – Keith
Horne 70 71 64, Daniel van Tonder 70 67 68
206 – Jacques
Blaauw 69 70 67, Keenan Davidse 71 68 67, Darren
Fichardt 73 66 67
