It was a grind, but Gerhard Pepler still managed to hang onto his lead in the Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am at Irene Country Club and heads into Sunday’s final round two strokes clear of the field.
A level-par 72 kept him at 17 under par overall and opened the door for Christiaan Burke (third-round 67), Jaco Prinsloo (66) and Jack Davidson (68) to close the gap as they finished the third round on 15 under par.
The round had to be suspended late in the afternoon because of darkness, with a few players who will have to complete their third rounds on Sunday morning before the start of the final round.
Pepler, who started the day with a six-shot lead after rounds of 63 and 64, had to dig deep as things did not go all his way on Saturday.
“It wasn’t the easiest of days today. I started with a birdie on the second hole, and then things went a little bit sideways. I wasn’t swinging it great and I put myself under a bit more pressure than what I was doing the first two days. I was hitting it in the wrong places today and was not making my putts,” said Pepler.
The big man made three bogeys in his next four holes after that early birdie. Then came a birdie on the eighth, a bogey on the 10th and a further two birdies on holes 15 and 17.
“It was a little bit of a grinding day, but I managed to finish it off with two birdies on the last four holes. I am still happy to be in the lead with two shots.”
Going into the final day, Pepler said he wants to put the tough third round behind him and focus on his quest for a second Sunshine Tour title.
“I have a little bit of a cushion going into tomorrow, but today was a bit of a wakeup call that everything is not always going to go your way for a full week. I am still happy with the lead and excited going into the final round, and to do better than what I did today,” Pepler said.
Behind him, Prinsloo will be a threat as a player in incredible form. Prinsloo hasn’t finished worse than fifth in his last four Sunshine Tour events.