Trevor Fisher surges to share lead with Sterne

Published on 10/02/2013 03:05

South Africans Trevor Fisher Jnr and Richard Sterne kept the joint lead in the Joburg Open yesterday after they both carded 68 in the third round.

The pair go into today’s final round locked on 19 under par for the tournament, five shots clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Sterne is a five-times European Tour winner, but has not claimed a trophy since 2008, while Fisher is seeking his first win on the tour.

Fisher, pictured below, surged ahead yesterday having gone out in 33, but three bogeys coming home allowed his rival to stay in touch. It could have been different after a fine approach to the 18th green left Fisher a ten-foot putt for an eagle, while Sterne landed in the greenside bunker. But an excellent save out of the sand gave Sterne a birdie and Fisher let the eagle chance slip, the opportunity to take the overnight lead gone.

A quartet of players are five shots back, including twice winner Charl Schwartzel, along with Chilean Felipe Aguilar (70), and home players Jaco van Zyl (67) and George Coetzee (70).

South African Garth Mulroy produced the round of the day, with a 65 which took him to 12-under for the tournament. Three other players are on 12 under, including the tournament’s leading Scot, David Drysdale, who shot 68 yesterday. His fellow Scots George Murray and Scott Henry are on eight under and five under respectively.

n BRANDT Snedeker will hope he can make it third time lucky after moving into a share of the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Snedeker has finished runner-up to Tiger Woods and to Phil Mickelson in the last two weeks, but he cruised to joint top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage in California.

A bogey-free four-under-par 68 at the Spyglass Hills course moved the American to eight under overall, alongside compatriot Ted Potter.

n SEON Woo Bae vaulted herself into contention at the New Zealand Women’s Open with a stunning second round of 64, setting a new course record to join Lydia Ko at the top of the leaderboard in Christchurch.

Ko and Bae are together on six under after two rounds, one shot better off than Italian Giulia Sergas. Nikki Campbell, part of a three-way all-Australian tie overnight, is the only one still within touching distance of the lead as she sits fourth, two shots back.