SUNSHINE TOUR'S VODACOM CHAMPIONSHIP

Hennie Otto leads by four strokes

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
European Tour member Hennie Otto carded a third-round 67 at the Vodacom Championship to keep him four shots clear going into the final round at Pretoria Country Club.
It was cruise-control for the 33-year-old South Africanwho set a course record 11-under-par 61 in the second round and a Sunshine Tour 36-hole record of 18-under 126.
“Normally after one like that, 72 is a good score,” laughed Otto (pictured right). “But the birdies are out there – but you have to hit the fairways.”
He goes into the final round on 23 under par, after a round with three bogeys and none of the brilliance of the second round.
Thomas Aiken and Jbe’ Kruger are Otto’s nearest challengers, but it will take something special to catch him.
Aiken carded five birdies, but three bogeys negated any chance of a charge at the lead.
Kruger was much more consistent, but was unable to convert a number of chances in his round.
Although he made no bogeys, six birdies were not enough to eat more substantially into Otto’s lead.
“Jbe’ played well today,” said Otto. “He didn’t want to let go.”
In the end, Kruger finished on 19 under after a 66, and Aiken fought his way to 15 under for the tournament with his 70.
Otto opened with a birdie, and didn’t seem too phased when he bogeyed the third. Instead, he hit back with three more birdies before the turn.
When two more bogeys cropped up on his card – at the 11th and the 13th – he followed them with birdies, and, for good measure, he found another birdie on the 15th to keep the charge from Kruger at bay.
“After I made the third bogey, my caddie Cliffie Botha told me that it would happen if I just gave it a chance,” he said. And that’s precisely what happened.

THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD

Par 216 (3x72)

Players from South Africa unless stated

193 Hennie Otto 65 61 67.

197 Jbe Kruger 65 66 66,

201 Thomas Aiken 65 66 70.

202 Grant Veenstra 70 65 67, Tjaart Van der Walt 67 66 69.

203 Branden Grace 64 69 70.

204 Andrew Georgiou 69 70 65, Andre Bossert (Switzerland) 68 68 68, Adilson da Silva (Brazil) 69 66 69, Dawie Van der Walt 68 66 70, Mark Murless 66 68 70.

205 Peter Karmis 70 68 67, Michiel Bothma 66 70 69.

206 George Coetzee 68 70 68, Alex Haindl 72 66 68, Anton Haig 67 66 73.

207 Josh Cunliffe 74 67 66, James Kamte 72 65 70, Warren Abery 70 67 70, Doug McGuigan 66 66 75

208 Justin Walters 72 70 66, Grant Muller 71 70 67, Jake Roos 69 69 70.