Backing up an impressive score such as the 62 he produced on day two of the Steyn City Challenge was always going to be a daunting task but South Africa’s Shaun Norris was up to it as his near-perfect 67 on moving day helped him maintain a four-shot lead with 18 holes to go.
Norris’ 10-under 62 on day two was enough to unseat James-Hart Du Preez from the summit of the leaderboard of this 72-hole tournament co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour. A glance at the chasing pack which included fellow South African Dean Burmester, and Norris knew that he’d have to be at his sharpest on moving day, regardless of his seemingly comfortable three-shot lead at the time.
A dream start on Saturday was characterised by two birdies in his first three holes, and then two more on the sixth and seventh holes to turn in 32 and bogey-free. He found another birdie after the turn but soon gave a shot away on the par-four 11th. That was his only drop of the day as Norris went on to make another birdie on 13 to seal a 67 which helped shoot him four clear of his closest pursuer; Dean Burmester.
Burmester has not hidden his desires to return to the winner’s circle sooner rather than later and at 19-under for the week in Fourways and trailing by four, he will be keen to get going for the final round. He is a pressure player who can deliver the goods under the most immense of pressure and having to chase in the final round will not be a scary prospect for him.
He opened with four birdies on the trot as he launched his charge for the top of the leaderboard, but that momentum was halted by the bogey he made on five. He bounced back masterfully, however, with a birdie on the sixth and another on the ninth.
That birdie on the ninth sparked a three-birdie run which ended on 12 and the experienced Burmester then went around the remaining holes picking up pars and refusing to drop any more shots en route to his second 66 of the week.
German Matti Schmid carded a brilliant 64 which catapulted him to the third spot on the leaderboard on 18-under-par for the week while Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen and Sebastian Soderberg of Sweden share fourth at 17-under.
Other South Africans who are in the leading top 10 ahead of the final round are Oliver Bekker and Du Preez. They tie eighth, two shots behind France’s Romain Langasque who sits sixth on 16-under, and one shot shy of Finland’s Mikko Korhonen who is on 15-under and occupies seventh on the leaderboard.
