The Sunday Post (Newcastle)

King Louis in imperious form as he opened up a three-shot Joburg lead

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Louis

Oosthuizen will take a three-shot lead into today’s final round of the South African Open after firing a battling 67 on day three in Johannesbu­rg.

The 2010 Open champion entered the weekend two shots behind fellow South African Charl Schwartzel, but the 2011 Masters winner will now have to do the chasing after a disappoint­ing 72.

Oosthuizen moved to 14-under-par at Randpark Golf Club, with England’s Matt Wallace and Zambian world No. 1,330 Madalitso Muthiya at 11-under alongside Schwartzel.

Oosthuizen holed a long putt for birdie on the first and capitalise­d on the par-five fourth before handing the shot straight back on the next.

An excellent approach into the sixth helped him turn in 33 and he completed a hat-trick of birdies on par-5s as he got up and down from bunkers on the 12th and 14th before birdieing the parthree 15th from 15 feet for a fourshot lead.

A bogey after finding sand off the tee at the par-three 17th removed some of the gloss, but Oosthuizen was pleased with his day’s work.

“It was tough again but I played well,” he said. “Eighteen more holes of good golf and I just need to take it one shot at a time.”

Schwartzel recovered from bogeys on the first and third with a birdie on the 12th, while Wallace carded a 68 as he looks for a fourth win of 2018.

Muthiya overcame two doubleboge­ys in a level-par 71, with Scot Robert McIntyre and four-time Major champion Ernie Els then in a group of eight players six shots off the lead.

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 71) 199 – Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 62 70 67; 202 – Matt Wallace 65 69 68, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 67 63 72, Madalitso Muthiya (Zam) 63 68 71; 205 – Adilson Da Silva (Bra) 66 70 69, Branden Grace (Rsa) 66 68 71, Jeff Winther (Den) 68 69 68, Ernie Els (Rsa) 66 71 68, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 66 67 72, Robert Macintyre 70 67 68, Bernd Ritthammer (Ger) 67 69 69, Mark Williams (Zim) 65 68 72; 206 – Kurt Kitayama (USA) 63 69 74, Haydn Porteous (Rsa) 68 70 68, Jake Roos (Rsa) 66 72 68, Stuart Manley 67 71 68, Zander Lombard (Rsa) 64 68 74, Romain Langasque (Fra) 69 68 69, Matias Calderon (Chi) 68 71 67, Tapio Pulkkanen (Fin) 69 69 68, Daniel Greene (Rsa) 70 68 68; 207 – Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 67 68 72, (a) Jovan Rebula (Rsa) 67 70 70, Anthony Michael (Rsa) 67 71 69, Oliver Wilson 73 66 68, Yi-Keun Chang (Kor) 70 65 72, Chris Paisley 70 70 67, 208 Steven Brown 71 68 69, David Mcintyre (Rsa) 66 72 70, Bryce Easton (Rsa) 68 69 71, Joel Girrbach (Swi) 70 69 69, Ewan Ferguson 69 68 71;

209 – Hennie Otto (Rsa) 69 68 72, Matthew Nixon 69 69 71, Callum Shinkwin 68 71 70, Brandon Stone (Rsa) 71 67 71, Max Schmitt (Ger) 66 72 71, Jarin Todd (USA) 68 72 69, Marc Warren 68 71 70, Austin Connelly (Can) 69 71 69.

Magnus P Atlevi carded the lowest round of the day, a sevenunder-par 65, to put the pressure on 36-hole leader Clark Dennis at the MCB Tour Championsh­ip in Mauritius.

The Swede started the day at Constance Belle Mare Plage on five-under-par, four strokes behind Dennis, and the pair traded blows on the front nine as they both carded five birdies.

Dennis came home in 35, oneunder-par, for a round of 66 and a 15-under-par total, as Atlevi made two further gains on the back nine to reduce the deficit to just three shots.

2002 Ryder Cup hero Phillip Price will join Dennis and Atlevi in today’s final group after matching Dennis’s round of 66 for an 11-under-par total.

Paul McGinley, Ryder Cup Captain in 2014, is fourth on nine-under-par and double Senior Major Champion Roger Chapman sits in fifth on eightunder after successive rounds of 68.

The 1996 Open Champion Tom Lehman is one of six golfers in a share of sixth place, a stroke further back.

 ??  ?? England’s Matt Wallace is in a tie for second heading into today’s final round
England’s Matt Wallace is in a tie for second heading into today’s final round
 ??  ?? Colin Montgomeri­e
Colin Montgomeri­e

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