Hennie Otto moved into a three-stroke lead in the South African Open on Saturday with a third-round, seven-under-par 65 after playing a scorching back nine in 30 strokes.
The South African heads into the final 18 holes of the 1 million euro (US$1.3 million) tournament with a 14-under total of 202, ahead of two-time champion Retief Goosen, who shares a four-way tie for second place.
“The SA Open is our national championship. You always want to do well. I’m in a better place than I used to be and I’m going one way and that’s not down,” said Otto, who was once known for his bad-boy image. “The guy who plays the best tomorrow [Sunday] wins. I don’t keep stats. I’ve led from the front and lost from the front. Tomorrow’s a new day.”
Behind the 35-year-old were Goosen, Thomas Aiken, Garth Mulroy and Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson, who ended day three on 11-under at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate.
Otto moved into a shared lead with Goosen, who carded a 71 following a three-birdie start, after hitting a birdie at 10, an eagle at 11 and another birdie at 12.
Two more birdies at number 15 and 17 followed, putting him in the front-running position and making up for a bogey start to the day.
Otto birdied the second, but dropped the fifth, and said the greens had been quicker than in the previous two days.
He went on to put two birdies away at the seventh and eighth.
Otto was paired with defending champion Ernie Els, who hit a quadruple-bogey at the par-five No. 16 hole and went to 76. He heads into day four with a total of 214.
The Big Easy had been distracted by the crowds at the 16th, Otto said.
“There’s no control in the crowds — they should ban the phones when you come in. It’s got ridiculous,” the SAPA news agency quoted him as saying.
Halfway leader Steven O’Hara of Scotland finished up on 207.
The contest, the second-oldest national championship after the British Open, turns 101 this year.
Notably absent from the tournament are locals and Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who are at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China.
The course on the outskirts of Johannesburg, called the Masai Mara, opened in 2009 with its signature hole the par-five No. 8, which has an island green.
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