Rookie-of-the-Year Lawrence has
Thriston Lawrence holds a twoshot lead heading into today’s final round of the South African Open.
The home favourite shot a second successive 67 at Blair Atholl, carding six birdies and just a solitary bogey as his continued impressive putting took him to 18-under-par and kept him clear of playing partner Clement Sordet.
The Frenchman went round in 66 for the second day on the bounce and produced the highlight of the day when his flopshot from the back of the 10th green spun sharply left to right and rolled in for a brilliant eagle.
Sordet added seven birdies to counteract a bogey and a double, opening up some daylight on third-placed Jens Fahrbring in third at 12-under.
Lawrence, the Rookie of the Year, holed from the fringe for an opening birdie and capitalised on a perfect approach to the fourth before salvaging a duffed chip at the next with a long putt for birdie.
His one dropped shot came at the ninth, but he birdied the long 13th, where Sordet missed a makeable eagle putt, before both players finished birdie-birdie to set up a final-day duel.
Fahrbring racked up five birdies to undo the damage of successive bogeys at the sixth and seventh, while Wu Ashun’s flawless 67 lifted him to 11 under and fourth place.
Wilco Nienaber, Martin Simonsen and leading amateur Christian Maas were all at 10 under, with Simonsen’s 65 the best round of the day.
Ockie Strydom, second overnight and playing with Lawrence and Sordet, fell back to eight-under-par after a disappointing 75 – 12 shots worse than his course record on Friday, despite also finishing with back-toback birdies.
Top Scot is Scott Jamieson, in a tie for 17th on seven-under-par following a third-round 72.
The only other Scot to make the cut was Marc Warren, and he finds himself down in a share of 53rd on three-under-par after a disappointing four-over-par third round of 76.
■ Adam Scott headed into the final round in the lead of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open despite seeing his course record equalled by Adrian Meronk yesterday.
The 2013 Masters champion had shot 63 on Friday to share the halfway lead with compatriot David Micheluzzi but saw Poland’s Meronk surge to the top of the leaderboard with a nine-birdie round yesterday.
Scott responded by finishing with an eagle for the second day in succession to move to 11-under, one stroke ahead of Meronk at the summit.
Having played the front nine in one-over-par, he came home in 31 thanks to two birdies and that closing eagle and said: “I think I actually played at least as well, if not better, than I did yesterday. It just was one of those days where the numbers never fell into a great spot to challenge a back flag.”
Scott won his home Open in 2009 and, regarding the prospect of a repeat 13 years on, he said: “I believe I’m going to do it. If you don’t believe in it, then you won’t do it.”
Haydn Barron and Min Woo Lee were three shots behind Meronk in joint third place, with Josh Geary and Ireland’s Conor Purcell
a shot further back at six under. Micheluzzi’s three-over-par round dropped him back into a group of five at five under.
Jiyai Shin led the concurrent women’s event on 14-under, with Ashleigh Buhai 13-under and Hannah Green 12-under.