Haydn Porteous is hunting his first victory of the new year as he takes a three-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Cell C Challenge in Honour of Gary Player at Killarney Country Club.
Porteous, who has led from the first round, maintained his challenge with a third round of 68 on Saturday which lifted him to 14 under par overall.
Related: Porteous takes sole led in Cell C Challenge
After waiting eight years between victories, Porteous could now win twice in just over four months. A win on Sunday would be his second this season on the Sunshine Tour following his victory in September’s Vodacom Origins of Golf at Gowrie Farm.
His nearest challengers are Kieron van Wyk and Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith on 11 under par.
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Van Wyk surged into contention following a sublime third round of 62, while Follett-Smith signed for a 67.
As solid as Porteous has been all week, it was Van Wyk who provided the true fireworks on Saturday with his 62 – the lowest round of the tournament thus far.
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“I felt like Gary Player on the greens today,” he said of South Africa’s greatest ever sportsman.
“I was able to get the putter rolling pretty quickly and just saw myself making a bunch of birdies.”
After four straight pars to start his round, Van Wyk followed up with eight birdies thereafter and didn’t drop a single shot.
“I haven’t been hitting the ball that well but I found something on the range which I said I was going to bring into my game today. I struggled a little bit for the first three holes, but I made a good up-and-down on the fourth and from there it was pretty much open gates. I was able to see the lines really well today and rolled the putts where I was looking.”
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Much has been expected of Van Wyk upon his return to South Africa following a stellar amateur career at college in the United States, and he’s certainly excited about the opportunity that awaits on Sunday.
“I knew I needed a low one to get into contention, and now that I’ve done that I know my game can stay at that level for the final round. I’m excited. I didn’t think it would come this early in the new year but I’m excited for the opportunity.”
