Sunshine Tour
Fichardt surges to the top
2013-03-02 18:52
Pretoria - A four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard has set up a thrilling final round of South Africa's Tshwane Open.
South
Africans Darren Fichardt, Charl Coetzee and Dawie van der Walt will
start the fourth round level on 16-under-par with Chilean Mark Tullo
after an extended Saturday that saw 53 players complete their second
round in the early morning.
There was another rain interruption
that kept the players off the Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate course
at Centurion for two hours, before the final threesome completed their
third rounds in fading light.
Fichardt birdied the last three
holes for an eight-under-par 64 to take his share of the lead. It is the
best round of the championship so far as the 37-year-old seeks
back-to-back wins in South Africa following his victory in the Africa
Open in East London a fortnight ago.
Tullo and Van der Walt both carded 67s as they take aim at a first ever European Tour victory.
Tullo
has yet to drop a shot in the championship and carded another five
birdies on Saturday, including on the last to gain a share of the lead.
Van
der Walt is also yet to drop a shot and once again had a strong back
nine to keep up with the leaders. Eleven of his 16 birdies have come on
the way back to the clubhouse.
Coetzee is playing in his fifth event on tour and shot a 68, but two bogies on the back nine denied him the outright lead.
Having turned in 35, he had an eventful final nine holes that included five birdies to go with those two dropped shots.
One shot off the lead is South African Louis de Jager, who has now carded consecutive rounds of 65 after an opening day 71.
American Peter Uihlein goes into Sunday on 14-under-par, while one shot further back is Englishman David Howell.
Spanish
veteran Jose Maria Olazabal carded two double-bogies on his was to a
disappointing 74 that leaves him at two-over-par for the tournament and
in tied-73rd place.
Leading Tshwane Open scores after
third round at par-72, 7,791-yard (7,124-metre) Copperleaf Golf and
Country Estate Saturday (RSA unless noted):
200 - Charl Coetzee 67-65-68, Darren Fichardt 65-71-64, Mark Tullo (CHI) 67-66-67, Dawie van der Walt 68-65-67
201 - Louis de Jager 71-65-65
202 - Peter Uihlein (USA) 68-66-68
203 - David Howell (ENG) 67-69-67
204 - Graham van der Merwe 70-66-68
205 - Oliver Bekker 71-67-67, Richard Finch (ENG) 70-66-69, Jake Roos 69-67-69, Graeme Storm (ENG) 70-68-67
206
- Kristoffer Broberg (SWE) 72-67-67, Andrew Curlewis 73-68-65, Morten
Orum Madsen (DEN) 70-67-69, Joel Sjoholm (SWE) 68-68-70, Danny Willett
(ENG) 68-68-70
207 - Bjorn Akesson (SWE) 66-75-66, Matthew Baldwin
(ENG) 70-68-69, Christiaan Basson 70-66-71, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN)
70-69-68, Gary Lockerbie (ENG) 67-71-69, Joost Luiten (NED) 69-69-69,
Matthew Nixon (ENG) 70-69-68, Hennie Otto 71-68-68, Romain Wattel (FRA)
70-66-71
208 - Jaco Ahlers 68-72-68, Damien McGrane (IRL)
68-71-69, Vaughn Groenewald 68-70-70, Scott Henry (SCO) 72-69-67, Jean
Hugo 67-71-70, Jbe Kruger 71-70-67, Garth Mulroy 69-70-69, Robert Rock
(ENG) 71-69-68, Adilson da Silva (BRA) 69-70-69, Paul Waring (ENG)
74-65-69, Justin Walters 71-71-66, Peter Whiteford (SCO) 71-69-68
209
- Merrick Bremner 68-70-71, Colin Nel 69-70-70, Matteo Delpodio (ITA)
71-68-70, Ross McGowan (ENG) 73-68-68, Justin Harding 68-70-71, Mikko
Korhonen (FIN) 68-72-69, Ruan de Smidt 69-70-70
210 - Desvonde
Botes 69-70-71, Dylan Frittelli 68-71-71, Doug McGuigan 71-67-72, Keith
Horne 68-70-72, Lasse Jensen (DEN) 73-67-70, James Kamte 69-70-71, James
Kingston 70-72-68, Maximilian Kieffer (GER) 72-69-69, Chris Lloyd (ENG)
71-70-69, Eddie Pepperell (ENG) 70-72-68, Gary Stal (FRA) 72-69-69