Erik van Rooyen is looking to head to next week’s Open Championship as the newest winner on the European Tour after a 67 on Saturday, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
To do that, he must haul in Bernd Wiesberger. The Austrian set the lowest 54 hole score ever at the Scottish Open which was also the lowest of the 2019 Race to Dubai and lowest of his career.
But still he is only two in front Van Rooyen, who wobbled with a bogey at the third. Birdies at 6 and 8 steadied the nerves as the South African went about trying to bring the leader back into sight.
Van Rooyen was desperately unlucky on the 11th hole as he lasered in another approach only to watch his ball ricochet off the pin and roll back 20+ foot and almost off the green. He shook off that disappointment with a birdie at the par 5 12th before birdieing both of the back nine’s par 3s to move within two of Wiesberger and two ahead of Nino Bertasio and Romain Langasque who share third.
Van Rooyen has run close on more than one occasion and local fans will tune in in anticipation as The Renaissance Club prepares itself for a thrilling finale.
Elsewhere, George Coetzee was SA’s bigger mover as his 64 moved him up 37 places into a share of 13th.
Brandon Stone dropped 20 places to sit down in 31st place after a 70.
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
