Martin Rohwer will take a six-point lead into the final round of the Investec Royal Swazi Open after a 65 on Friday.
Rohwer’s fine form – which included better ball striking – earned him 18 points as he stretched to a commanding lead.
‘Ball striking was more solid today than the other two days,’ said Rohwer. ‘I think if I can keep that up tomorrow, I’ll have a good chance.’
His first nine holes consisted of three birdies, a single drop and an eagle, and in the Modified Stableford scoring format being used at this event, he picked up a total of 10 points there. Homeward, he made two birdies, an eagle and a bogey, picking up eight points to take his overall tally for the week to 48, six points clear of Jake Roos. who is second.
‘In the first four holes, I think I hit inside 15 feet at every hole’ he said of that front-nine run. ‘I knew I was playing well, which kind of calmed me down a bit, and I knew the birdies were going to come if I stayed patient.’
Leading from the first round of the tournament, Rohwer admits that it’s quite difficult to stay in it, but with a real opportunity to claim his maiden win, he is pleased how his mental game is holding up.
‘It’s tough hey, to hold the lead every day is not easy, but I think I’ve handled it well. I haven’t felt the pressure too much, except at the final hole today where there was a crowd.’
Roos’ untainted six-under 66 earned him 14 points and he sits second on the leaderboard with a total of 42 points. Daniel Greene is third after he earned himself 14 points to total 40. With 37 points and in a share of fourth, Jaco Prinsloo and Ruan Conradie are piling on the pressure, while England’s Steve Surry occupies the sixth spot with 36 points.
2016 champion Titch Moore has 35 points and lies seventh, while Vaughn Groenewald and MJ Viljoen share the eighth spot on a total of 34 points.
This tournament is played under the Modified Stableford format, which awards points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole, thereby encouraging and sometimes rewarding aggressive play.
Third-round leaderboard:
48 – Martin Rohwer 18 12 18
42 – Jake Roos 8 20 14
40 – Daniel Greene 15 11 14
37 – Jaco Prinsloo 9 17 11, Ruan Conradie 13 8 16
36 – Steve Surry 14 9 13
35 – Titch Moore 10 14 11
34 – Vaughn Groenewald 7 10 17, MJ Viljoen 17 10 7
33 – Fredrik From 11 8 14, Teaghan Gauche 7 12 14, Neil Schietekat 12 12 9, Keenan Davidse 11 11 11, Thriston Lawrence 13 9 11, James Allan 18 10 5
32 – Stephen Ferreira 15 9 8
31 – Michael Palmer 12 7 12, Estiaan Conradie 11 14 6
30 – Ryan Cairns 12 4 14, David McIntyre 15 6 9
28 – Derick Petersen 5 10 13
27 – Jacques Blaauw 7 9 11, Ockie Strydom 9 6 12, Trevor Fisher Jnr 9 8 10, James Kingston 9 10 8, Christiaan Basson 9 12 6
26 – Anthony Michael 11 4 11, Merrick Bremner 11 7 8, Jean Hugo 9 11 6
25 – Rhys West 10 5 10, JC Ritchie 6 11 8, Bradford Vaughan 10 8 7
24 – Luke Jerling 12 2 10, Andre Nel 9 9 6, CJ du Plessis 14 4 6, Duane Keun 3 16 5
23 – Louis Albertse 4 15 4
22 – Toto Thimba 7 8 7
21 – Breyten Meyer 13 5 3
20 – Hennie Otto 6 6 8, Jonathan Agren 7 5 8, Garrick Higgo 5 8 7, Kyle Barker 7 6 7, Jake Redman 9 8 3, Pieter Moolman 10 7 3, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 7 11 2, Jacques P de Villiers 14 5 1
18 – Andrew McLardy 7 7 4
16 – Wallie Coetsee 7 7 2
14 – Sean Bradley 6 7 1
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images
