He got himself into a scoring zone on Saturday, and veteran Darren Fichardt really made it count with a brilliant 10-under-par 62 in the third round of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club.
His scoring spree included an eagle and eight birdies, and it took him to 13-under-par through 54 holes in the tournament co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the Challenge Tour. That gave him a share of the lead with Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith, the 2019 champion who had a third-round five-under 67. Dylan Mostert was one back on 12-under in third, and Spain’s Manuel Elvira and Jaco van Zyl shared fourth on 11-under.
“Yesterday the wind blew so hard that I didn’t know whether I was coming or going,” said Fichardt. “But I could feel the game was there, and my putting was pretty good. I just got out there and gave myself some chances. I started off with three birdies in a row. Then I rode the momentum while I was in the zone. I had driver-three-iron on the third, where even a par is a bonus. I made a good par on four, and then I had a great driver-three-iron on the par-five.
“Then I felt, ‘Here we go!’ I started getting that tunnel vision. The swing was good, putting was – I knew if I was within 15 feet, I had a really good chance. And if I missed the greens, I knew I have been chipping well.”
Add to that 24 putts in his third round – there were 27 in the first and 26 in the second – and a good round was clearly just around the corner.
The course, part of the oldest golf club in South Africa, is one of the reasons Fichardt was able to do what he did. “It’s not a long golf course, so you’re able to do a bit of shot-making rather than having to cane it off the tee,” he said. “You’re able to get in a good rhythm, because you’re not hitting yourself out of your shoes.”
So, after a tough year last year – he played 34 tournaments, with just a single top-10 and 15 missed cuts, finishing 144th on the DP World Tour’s ranking – Fichardt is feeling reinvigorated after time off in December and January.
“I’m looking forward to a good battle tomorrow,” he said. “I see my old mate Jaco van Zyl is up there too, and I would love to fight it out with him again.”
