Donaldson keeps head in front going into final day at Sun City

WELSHMAN Jamie Donaldson outduelled world No 3 Henrik Stenson at Sun City to keep his three-stroke lead after the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

He fired a five-under-par 67 to move to 16-under par overall, three shots ahead of American Ryan Moore and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark.

Stenson, Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and Spaniard Sergio Garcia are tied on 11-under par. Darren Fichardt is the top-placed South African on eight under.

Donaldson played in the final group with Stenson and Moore, and many pundits had expected the Swede, three strokes off the pace at the start of the round, to make a move.

After all, he is the form golfer on the planet, having won the orders of merit on both the US and European Tours.

In five tournaments since September he has pocketed more than $14million, including $11-million in bonuses — that’s more than $10 000 (R100 000) a shot.

Donaldson, even with four top-10 finishes in his past five events, was worth a tad less than $1 000 per shot.

But he is the frontrunner for the $1.25-million winner’s cheque, having won two of three critical battles during yesterday’s round.

The first was on the par-five ninth hole, where both Donaldson and Stenson put their second shots into the water guarding the front of the green.

Donaldson still managed to save par from there, but Stenson’s four shot rolled back into the water and he was forced to settle for a double bogey.

Donaldson followed up with consecutive birdies on the par-five 10th and par-four 11th, but Stenson fought back, carding three birdies from 10 to 13.

But he lost the second battle on the love-grass par-five 14th.

Stenson, just off the green in two, should have birdied the hole, but his eagle attempt sailed way past the hole; Donaldson nailed a 10-footer for birdie.

But the Scandinavian, the champion here in 2008, pounced like a scavenger on the par-four 17th, the only hole where Donaldson faltered, scoring a bogey after putting his tee shot into a bunker and mis-hitting his third.

Stenson, on in two, drained the birdie putt.

Donaldson knows his three-shot cushion isn’t big enough in a field of this quality. “I have to go out there and play aggressive golf, not daft.”

A sombre mood has descended over the tournament since the death of Nelson Mandela, and there was more bad news.

Jos Vanstiphout of Belgium, the former mind doctor of Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, passed away on Friday.

And ex-boxer Baby Jake Matlala died yesterday morning.