South Africans Dylan Frittelli and Zander Lombard share the lead with America’s Harold Varner III going into the final round of the Australian PGA Championship, where just four players are under par after another tough day at RACV Royal Pines Resort.
Frittelli won on The Challenge Tour in 2013 and Lombard was runner-up at the Amateur Championship a year later, but both are seeking a first European Tour title and hold a share of the lead after carding rounds of 71.
Big-hitting Varner III, who recently graduated from the Web.com Tour to the US PGA Tour, is also chasing a first professional win, and charged into contention with a flawless 66 to join the leaders on three under par.
Australian Nathan Holman lies fourth on one under following a round of 70, with his compatriot Matthew Millar and halfway leader David Lingmerth sharing fifth on level par.
Swede Lingmerth still looked to be in control when he turned in a level par 36, but two double bogeys in the space of four holes at the start of the back nine saw him drop back down the leaderboard.
Having recovered from an early bogey with a birdie from eight feet at the fourth, Lingmerth’s problems began at the tenth.
Having leaked his drive right, his approach kept low and left and the 28 year old’s first chip returned to his feet before he missed a six footer for bogey.
Another pulled approach at the 11th caught a fortunate bounce off a tree and finished greenside before the World Number 57 chipped in, and Lingmerth seemed to have turned a corner when he got up and down for another birdie at the 12th to re-join the leaders.
But he drove into water at the 13th en route to another double bogey six, and bogeyed the 14th too after his tee shot finished well short of the green.
By that stage Varner III had already set the clubhouse pace, an up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the 15th providing one of six birdies.
“I was playing pretty well the first two days, just a few mistakes and didn’t hole many putts, but I am just looking forward to the opportunity tomorrow,” said Varner III. “I can’t get too wild tonight, so I’m going to calm down.
“The game plan will be to do what I did today because obviously that was pretty good. Nothing crazy, just do the same thing I’ve been doing the last year I guess, just trying to get better. Tomorrow I’m going to get better.”
The 26 year old was swiftly caught by first round leader Lombard.
The 20 year old South African overcame a bogey at the second with gains at the ninth and 13th, but having briefly taken the outright lead when he chipped in for a gain on the 16th, he dropped a shot at the last after slicing his drive right into the trees.
“I played really well today, kept it in the right spots again and just stuck it out,” said Lombard.
“There’s definitely some nerves on the first tee [tomorrow], but as soon as I get into the game and start to go through my processes, just get back into the zone and play my golf I am okay.
“Tomorrow is going to be tough but it would be a dream come true to win and I’m going to play my best tomorrow for it.”
Frittelli made a ten footer at the seventh, and followed both his bogeys on the back nine with bounce-back gains as the 25 year old clung on to a share of top spot.
“One under par is always good in tough conditions like this,” said Frittelli. “The front nine was consistent golf, hit a lot of greens; left myself a lot of putts and back nine was slightly different, had a bit of a speed wobble there coming in with a bogey on 16 and then birdie on 17, but I was really happy with the way I played.”
