Charl has narrow lead in SA Open

EVEN off his brilliant best, Charl Schwartzel was still good enough to grind out a one-stroke lead in the third round of the SA Open at Glendower yesterday.

Schwartzel, who is the 2011 US Masters champion, fired a three-under par 69 — his highest score of the tournament to date — to reach 15-under overall, one stroke ahead of Norway’s Morten Orum Madsen and Italian Marco Crespi.

South African Hennie Otto is two shots behind Schwartzel.

Schwartzel, who blanked out two of his five birdies with dropped shots, said he missed good scoring opportunities, especially on holes 12 and 13.

But then again, his birdie on the par-five 15th was an unexpected boon.

With his ball resting against the root of a tree after two shots, he used a nine iron to pitch the ball on to the green, and then sank a long putt — the type of golf that wins tournaments.

He failed to blitz the back nine like some of his rivals, but Schwartzel was content with his score.

“It was definitely tougher

I’m going to have to shoot a really solid round to win

out there, the wind blowing out of the south made it longer. I was pretty happy with 69.

“I’m going to have to shoot a really solid round to win. If I play average someone else will win.”

Otto scored like an amateur on the ninth hole, carding a three-over seven that cost him the chance of taking the sole lead.

Forced to punch out after putting his tee shot behind a tree, Otto placed his approach into the water.

Asked what he had thought at the time, Otto, once notorious for his fiery temperament, replied: “Hennie, you idiot!”

His round of seven-underpar 65 could have been 61 had he not also dropped a shot on the fifth.

But an eagle three on the second followed by nine birdies — seven of them on the back nine where he carded 29 — more than made up for it.

Retief Goosen, who had four putts lip out, bagged five birdies on the back nine, four of them consecutively, to end on nine under overall.

South Korean Sihwan Kim had two straight eagles — an ace on the par-three 14th followed by a three on 15.