Ernie Els birdied his final two holes on Saturday to remain in the hunt for his first European Tour victory since the 2013 BMW International Open, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
Els remains SA’s best at the Maybank Championship on a day where a number of players moved into contention. At the top, it is Spain’s Nacho Elvira who takes a two-shot lead into the final round.
Elvira has a first European Tour title in his sights after he closed his round with back-to-back birdies to sign for a sensational 66, which moved him to 13-under par and gave him breathing space at the top of the leaderboard.
Alfred Dunhill Championship winner David Lipsky was Elvira’s nearest challenger on 11-under after carding seven birdies and two bogeys in his third round 67.
The South African challenge did not materialise as desired in round three, with Els dropping two places despite coming home in 33. An early bogey was offset by a birdie on the par-5 fifth before his inward run gathered some steady momentum ahead of the final loop around Saujana Golf and Country Club.
Tied with Els after two rounds, Dean Burmester had a back nine to forget as he handed back his bogey-free -3 front nine and then some.
Drops at 10 and 11 were followed by further bogeys at 14 and 16 on a nine which didn’t include a birdie. Burmester dropped into a share of 16th with Louis de Jager – runner-up last week in Kenya – moving ahead of him into a share of 9th thanks to a 69. De Jager’s round included six birdies and three drops as he continues to work his way up the Order of Merit.
Of the 10 Saffas to make the weekend, only De Jager and Els managed sub-70 rounds.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
