Jacques P de Villiers continued to build on his solid form over the past few weeks and will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at the Pezula Championship Course.
De Villiers signed for a third round of 67 to lead the field on 11 under par. Neil Schietekat is his nearest challenger on 10 under following a 70 on Saturday, while Sean Bradley, Albert Venter, Jaco van Zyl, Stuart Krog and Rhys West all came through 54 holes on nine under par.
West went into the third round with a one-stroke lead but struggled on a front nine where he dropped five shots in four holes on his way to a 72.
Tara Griebenow leads the Sunshine Ladies Tour challenge on two over par following a third round of 75.
De Villiers came into this week with three top-10s in his last four tournaments. He finished fourth in both the Fortress Invitational and Blue Label Challenge, and then added an eighth-place finish in the SunBet Challenge Sun Sibaya. And he seems to save his best for the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final after finishing eighth in last year’s final tournament on the series.
“I hit some nice iron shots and it was mainly just taking advantage of my opportunities today,” De Villiers said.
His short game in particular was sublime on Saturday.
“With the windy conditions I really just try and keep the short game sharp. You’re going to get some iron shots wrong so the short game saves you there.”
And clearly the gusting wind was also not a concern for the Bloemfontein golfer.
“You know, you’d actually be surprised but it can get quite blustery in the Free State, especially around August and September.”
By Michael Vlismas
Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour
