Wilco Nienaber and Louis Albertse will share a one stroke lead heading into the final day of the SDC Open, the first event of the 2024 Road to Mallorca.
The South African duo both made the most of perfect scoring conditions at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa to reach 19 under par for the week and edge ahead of Welshman Rhys Enoch who sits in solo third on 18 under par.
Nienaber started the day one stroke off the lead but made a fast start by opening his round with a birdie and an eagle at the first two holes.
The 23-year-old fired seven more birdies, including one at the final hole, and two bogeys, to sign for an eight under par round of 64 and put himself in a strong position heading into the final round.
“It was a fast start,” he said. “To make a birdie on the first hole always feels nice, especially when you hit three perfect shots, and the second hole was three really good shots as well.
“From there you just think you’ve got to keep going. It’s easy to think you’ve made a couple and you can be fine with pars. Overall I’m happy with the performance today.
“I wasn’t really too bothered by what everyone else was doing out there. I just tried to finish at the top at the end of the day and hopefully I’ll be there at the end of tomorrow too.”
Albertse played the first 14 holes three under par before finishing eagle-birdie-par-birdie to make sure he will play in the final group alongside Nienaber tomorrow.
The 27-year-old has won twice on the Sunshine Tour in the last three years, and the prospect of adding a maiden Challenge Tour win on Sunday is one that he’s looking forward to.
“Being in positions like this, playing against these types of players in these events, it’s just amazing and I can’t wait,” he said. “I haven’t made many drops this week which I’m pleased about. I’m just trying to keep it in play and give myself opportunities.
“I’ve been able to build a game plan on this course over the years so I’m not in two minds when I stand on the tee box. I feel like I know what I’m doing here, so I’m just trying to execute the best I can out there.
“Scores are always going to be good with top class players around, but I tried to stay in my own bubble and I’m pleased with where I’m lying.”
The trio of Nienaber, Albertse and Enoch distanced themselves from a congested leaderboard that at one point saw nine players share the lead and 30 players get within two strokes of the lead.
Six players share fourth on 15 under par including Gerhard Pepler and Jbe Kruger from South Africa, Englishmen Chris Paisley and George Bloor, Frenchman Alexander Levy and Spaniard Angel Ayora.
Englishman Jamie Rutherford and South African’s Martin Rohwer and Deon Germishuys are one stroke further back in tenth.
The final round gets under way at 7:14am local time with Nienaber, Albertse and Enoch teeing off at 9:15am.
