ALASTAIR FORSYTH NOW LEADING SCOTT AS CRAIG LEE FADES
LOCAL HEROES AIKEN AND WALTERS
LEAD JOBURG OPEN
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
with a few additional words by Colin Farquharson Colin@scottishgolfview.com
It's amazing how well South African players do in Europe Tour events played in their home land. With three players in the leading six and seven in the top 20 after 54 holes, they are rising to the occasion again in the Joburg Open.
Johannesburg-born
pair Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters will lead the battle for a home win on Sunday after storming ahead during the third round at
Royal Johannesburg Kensington Golf Club.
Aiken - whose surname suggests he has some Scottish blood in his veins - shot a nine under par 63 over the East Course, while Walters responded with a 64 as the duo reached 17 under par – two clear of South Korean Jin Jeong.
“I’ve been in a lot of final groups, won twice in Europe and seven times on the Sunshine Tour, so I know what pressures there are going to be,” said Aiken.
“If you just go and do what you do best, stick to your gameplan and take it shot by shot then the best golfer will win at the end of the day.
Two-time European Tour winner Aiken struck his approach to three feet at the ninth to complete an outward 33, holed a 20 footer at the 11th then, after another birdie at the 12th, converted an unlikely 50 foot effort on the 14th.
Aiken - whose surname suggests he has some Scottish blood in his veins - shot a nine under par 63 over the East Course, while Walters responded with a 64 as the duo reached 17 under par – two clear of South Korean Jin Jeong.
“I’ve been in a lot of final groups, won twice in Europe and seven times on the Sunshine Tour, so I know what pressures there are going to be,” said Aiken.
“If you just go and do what you do best, stick to your gameplan and take it shot by shot then the best golfer will win at the end of the day.
Two-time European Tour winner Aiken struck his approach to three feet at the ninth to complete an outward 33, holed a 20 footer at the 11th then, after another birdie at the 12th, converted an unlikely 50 foot effort on the 14th.
The 30 year old then finished with a birdie from six feet at the 17th
and got up-and-down at the par five last for a tenth gain of the day.
South Africans have won five of the seven stagings of this event, and Walters gave them a second shot at making it six from eight with seven birdies in his first 11 holes – notably an approach to six feet at the third and 40ft putt at the 11th.
The 33-year-old rose to prominence at the end of last season when he finished second in Portugal courtesy of a 60ft putt on the final hole that saw him break down in tears as he secured his European Tour card two weeks after losing his mother to cancer, and his fighting qualities were on display again as he responded to a bogey at the 16th, where he found the back bunker, with a second to two feet at the par five 18th for a tap-in eagle.
“I hit the ball so well today,” said Walters. “Going into the day I just wanted to move forward a little bit, because my last attempt from this position I went quite backwards. I was aware of that and I made a strong effort to be aggressive today.
“I’ve got one more round tomorrow and I’m so happy that I’ve put myself into a strong position. I’m super excited for tomorrow, because it’s what we play for.”
Of his eagle at the last, Walters added: “Considering the situation I am in it was pretty vital, because giving him (Aiken) a nice lead on this course will make him hard to catch.
“To hit a close one in there on the last and to hear the grandstand roar from way back down the fairway gives you the goosebumps, and that’s why we play. It’s nice to give people something to cheer about.
“Tomorrow is certainly a good opportunity, and I will be nervous, but hopefully I can improve on my record in South Africa.”
Jeong, a winner in Perth at the end of 2013, had five birdies, an eagle and a single dropped shot in his round of 66, with Finland’s Roope Kakko a stroke further back in fourth following a 67.
Overnight leaders Edoardo Molinari and Craig Lee could only manage rounds of 72 and 74 respectively to lose ground on the leaders.
SCOTSWATCH:
Craig Lee tumbled down from joint first to sharing 18th place on 206, following up very good rounds of 65 and 67 with a moderate - in this company - 74.
The Stirling man turned in one-over 37 after birdies at the first, long sixth and long eighth but offsetting bogeys ast the short second and par-4 seventh.
Lee came undone early on the inward half with a bogey at the 11th and a double bogey 5 at the short 12th.
South Africans have won five of the seven stagings of this event, and Walters gave them a second shot at making it six from eight with seven birdies in his first 11 holes – notably an approach to six feet at the third and 40ft putt at the 11th.
The 33-year-old rose to prominence at the end of last season when he finished second in Portugal courtesy of a 60ft putt on the final hole that saw him break down in tears as he secured his European Tour card two weeks after losing his mother to cancer, and his fighting qualities were on display again as he responded to a bogey at the 16th, where he found the back bunker, with a second to two feet at the par five 18th for a tap-in eagle.
“I hit the ball so well today,” said Walters. “Going into the day I just wanted to move forward a little bit, because my last attempt from this position I went quite backwards. I was aware of that and I made a strong effort to be aggressive today.
“I’ve got one more round tomorrow and I’m so happy that I’ve put myself into a strong position. I’m super excited for tomorrow, because it’s what we play for.”
Of his eagle at the last, Walters added: “Considering the situation I am in it was pretty vital, because giving him (Aiken) a nice lead on this course will make him hard to catch.
“To hit a close one in there on the last and to hear the grandstand roar from way back down the fairway gives you the goosebumps, and that’s why we play. It’s nice to give people something to cheer about.
“Tomorrow is certainly a good opportunity, and I will be nervous, but hopefully I can improve on my record in South Africa.”
Jeong, a winner in Perth at the end of 2013, had five birdies, an eagle and a single dropped shot in his round of 66, with Finland’s Roope Kakko a stroke further back in fourth following a 67.
Overnight leaders Edoardo Molinari and Craig Lee could only manage rounds of 72 and 74 respectively to lose ground on the leaders.
SCOTSWATCH:
Craig Lee tumbled down from joint first to sharing 18th place on 206, following up very good rounds of 65 and 67 with a moderate - in this company - 74.
The Stirling man turned in one-over 37 after birdies at the first, long sixth and long eighth but offsetting bogeys ast the short second and par-4 seventh.
Lee came undone early on the inward half with a bogey at the 11th and a double bogey 5 at the short 12th.
The leading Scot is now Alastair Forsyth, pictured, tied fifth, four strokes off the lead. Forsyth started like a house on fire - birdies at the long first, fouth, shot fifth and long sixth on his way to an outward half of four-under-par 33.
The Glasgow man cooled off a bit with bogeys at the 11th and 14th but finished strongly with birdies five and six at the short 16th and long 18th.
Dunbar's David Drysdale, the only other Scot to make the cut, did not have a god day and dropped back to a share of 67th place on 212. Drysdale had a double bogey 6 at the third and dropped another at the fourth to be three over for the day on the fifth tee.
He stopped the rot with a birdie 4 at the long sixth and was out in 39. He bogeyed the 15th and birdied the long 18th.
Three Open Championship places are also on offer tomorrow for those not already exempt and, with the only player in the current top ten already qualified for Royal Liverpool being France’s Grégory Bourdy, that contest also looks set to go down to the wire.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 215 (2 x 72s, 1 x 71)
Players from S Africa unless stated
198 Thomas Aiken 70 65 63, Justin Walters 64 70 64
200 Jin Jeong (S Korea) 65 69 66
201 Roope Kakko (Finland) 70 64 67
202 Alastair Forsyth (Scotland) 64 70 68, George Coetzee 65 68 69
203 David Horsey (England) 70 63 70
204 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 64 68 72
205 Anthony Wall (England) 69 70 66, Byeong-hutt An (S Korea) 69 68 68
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
206 Craig Lee 65 67 74 (T18)
212 David Drysdale 71 67 74 (T67).
CLICK ON THE LINE BELOW FOR THE FULL
The Glasgow man cooled off a bit with bogeys at the 11th and 14th but finished strongly with birdies five and six at the short 16th and long 18th.
Dunbar's David Drysdale, the only other Scot to make the cut, did not have a god day and dropped back to a share of 67th place on 212. Drysdale had a double bogey 6 at the third and dropped another at the fourth to be three over for the day on the fifth tee.
He stopped the rot with a birdie 4 at the long sixth and was out in 39. He bogeyed the 15th and birdied the long 18th.
Three Open Championship places are also on offer tomorrow for those not already exempt and, with the only player in the current top ten already qualified for Royal Liverpool being France’s Grégory Bourdy, that contest also looks set to go down to the wire.
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 215 (2 x 72s, 1 x 71)
Players from S Africa unless stated
198 Thomas Aiken 70 65 63, Justin Walters 64 70 64
200 Jin Jeong (S Korea) 65 69 66
201 Roope Kakko (Finland) 70 64 67
202 Alastair Forsyth (Scotland) 64 70 68, George Coetzee 65 68 69
203 David Horsey (England) 70 63 70
204 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 64 68 72
205 Anthony Wall (England) 69 70 66, Byeong-hutt An (S Korea) 69 68 68
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
206 Craig Lee 65 67 74 (T18)
212 David Drysdale 71 67 74 (T67).
CLICK ON THE LINE BELOW FOR THE FULL
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Saturday, February 08, 2014
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