Deon Germishuys carded a sensational bogey-free nine under par round of 63 in the third round of the SDC Open and will now take a two-shot lead into the final day at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa.
The 22-year-old South African carded seven birdies and an eagle to reach 19 under par, two-strokes ahead of Englishman Marco Penge, who also carded a bogey-free round of 63, and countryman Ruan Conradie who share second place.
Four-time DP World Tour winner Matteo Manassero joins overnight leader Freddy Schott and Frenchman Clément Sordet in a share of fourth place on 16 under par.
Germishuys believes his putter was key to his rise up the leaderboard on day three in Limpopo, and also explained how a hobby away from golf has played an important role in keeping him calm in stressful situations.
“I had great fun out there today,” he said. “The adrenaline was pumping and I was playing great golf. I holed a lot of long putts today and overall it was a good day. My putter has been cold recently but luckily it has heated up over the last three days.
“I have been going fishing while in Limpopo and that has really helped me take my mind of golf and relax.”
The 22-year-old is hoping to secure a maiden European Challenge Tour victory tomorrow and hopes his previous experiences of playing under pressure in the final group of a professional golf tournament can serve as an advantage.
“I’m really excited for tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve been in this position once or twice in my career and hopefully I can grab this opportunity with both hands. I’ve been playing good golf and I just have to hope it all works out.”
Italian Lorenzo Scalise shares seventh place with South African duo CJ du Plessis and Stefan Wears-Taylor on 14 under par, while South Africans MJ Viljoen and Anthony Michael share tenth place on 13 under par.
Germishuys will tee it up in the final group alongside Penge and Conradie at 11:07am local time.
