Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult held onto his lead by the end of a difficult third round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship as he now chases a second DP World Tour title at Leopard Creek on Sunday.
In temperatures far cooler than the previous days, Kinhult put together a solid 69 to head the field on 14 under par.
He heads into the final round two strokes clear of South Africa’s Ryan van Velzen, who signed for an incredible 65 to climb to 12 under par.
And Darius van Driel from the Netherlands kept himself in contention on 11 under par with a 67.
Despite the cooler weather, it was a far from easy day for the majority of those near the top of the leaderboard.
Charl Schwartzel saw his challenge falter with a 74 that was a tale of two nines, including a front nine of 42 and a back nine of 32. He ended the day on five under par overall.
And Dean Burmester fought hard for a 70 – including two double-bogeys – to keep himself in the tournament at 10 under par.
“It was a bit more of a grind today,” said Kinhult. “The good was very good, but I left myself in some tough positions as well. But I think I did pretty well. I don’t know the stats, but it felt like it was definitely less greens in regulation and more pressure on my short game.”
Kinhult is hunting his first win since 2019 and believes Leopard Creek sets up perfectly for him to achieve this on Sunday.
“Sleeping on a lead is not easy. But I enjoy playing this golf course. I like what I see on this golf course. It suits my eye. There are some tough holes but I do really like this course. If I can drive the ball well and put myself in good positions off the tee, that’s how you score well here.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of the final round. It’s a tight leaderboard and I’m going to need a good round to win.”
Van Velzen is relishing being in contention for a maiden DP World Tour title.
“I’m hitting my driver so well at the moment, and I think I’ve gone two rounds without a bogey now. I’m staying away from flags I can’t go for. I’m playing very nicely,” he said.
And further behind, Burmester believes there’s still everything to play for on Sunday.
“Being four shots behind around here is nothing. Anything can happen here. Marcus is playing well and looks comfortable, but I can only control what I can do. I like winning tournaments from behind.”
Photo: Perfect Exposure
