George Coetzee swiftly raced clear as the final round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open began at Heritage Golf Club.
The South African, the top-ranked player in the field this week, started the day one ahead of compatriot Thomas Aiken and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen, but pulled clear with birdies from close range at the second and third courtesy of some wonderful iron play.
Already a winner at his home Pretoria GC course this season in the Tshwane Open, the 28 year old Coetzee found himself three clear of Aiken on 13 under par.
Three-time European Tour winner Aiken remained ten under after passing up a couple of decent birdie chances, but Olesen was a shot further back in third after failing to get up-and-down at the first.
India’s Rahil Gangjee had shown the later starters the sort of scoring that was possible, as a closing 66 saw him set the clubhouse target at seven under and took him into the top ten.
Aiken failed to recover from missing the green at the fourth and bogeyed, but Olesen – returning from a three-month injury lay-off – came roaring back with birdies from 12 feet at the fifth and eight feet at the sixth.
Coetzee responded with a gain of his own on the fifth to stay three clear, while Australia’s Scott Hend roared into third on ten under when he turned in 31 and birdied the tenth from 20 feet.
Olesen completed his hat-trick of gains on the long seventh, but Coetzee needed five shots just to find the green on the same hole and in the end did well to hole a gutsy ten footer for bogey.
At 13 under his lead had been reduced to one by Olesen, with Hend, Aiken and Singapore’s Mardan Mamat tied for third on ten under.
Olesen’s driving was all over the place on Saturday, but the 25 year old’s putter had been hot all week and with his long game seemingly back in order he converted another chance from ten feet at the ninth to join Coetzee at the top of the leaderboard.
