South African George Coetzee is on course to secure his second European Tour title of the season after posting a third-round 65 to claim a one-stroke lead at the inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
The 28-year-old from Pretoria, who won on home soil during March, followed a second day 67 with an even better six-under-par bogey-free round on Saturday.
Coetzee, at 63 the highest ranked player teeing-up in the tournament, reached the turn in just 30 shots aided by an eagle-three at the 565-yard seventh where he pitched in from off the fairway.
And victory on Sunday would earn him his third European Tour title in just 15 months – the first coming at the Joburg Open in February 2014.
On the back nine he rolled in a 25-foot birdie at 14, along with eight pars, but he admitted being a little surprised by his low score, saying: “As I walked off the course, I told my manager I don’t know how I’m shooting under par the way I’m playing but obviously the course must suit my eye pretty well.
“Any way you get to a 65 is okay. I’m pretty happy but I made it difficult for myself on the back nine. I hit a couple of loose tee shots on the back nine and that obviously puts pressure on the next tee shot and then the next one after that.
“But coming down the stretch I started to hit it a bit better, so I’m not going to read too much into it. Perhaps it was a bit more difficult on the back nine because the wind picked up a little and a lot of the shots played directly into the wind.”
Lurking just a stroke behind are Thorbjorn Olesen and Thomas Aiken. Olesen, the world No 114 and playing in his first event for three months following hand surgery, posted a battling 70 that produced contrasting halves of golf.
After reaching the turn in a mediocre 37 strokes, the 25-year-old from Denmark made back-to-back birdies to start the back nine which he covered in 33.
Inconsistent Olesen
Olesen, who’s most recent of two Tour victories came in Australia last autumn, underwent hand surgery after competing in the Malaysian Open in early February.
As for Olesen’s topsy-turvy day, he dropped a shot at the first after his approach came up short of the green, then did well to only bogey the fourth after driving into a ditch, and found water off the tee at the ninth.
He hit three tee shots on the 14th – none found the fairway – before eventually locating his first effort in the trees and salvaging an unlikely par, but he holed birdies putts from 15 and 20 feet, and made an excellent approach at 16 for another birdie.
Olesen said: “My par saves were pretty amazing today. I’m happy that we are done now because it was not pretty out there. I was trying to find an escape and get the best score I could – I hit a lot of poor tee shots.
“The save on 14 was incredible and the save on 17 was also amazing. It was a tough round today and it took a lot of concentration and belief in myself.
“My tee shots were just really poor but couldn’t be happier that I’m only one shot off the lead with the way I played. I’m still in contention and I have a good chance on Sunday. I have to find something from the tee though to get my ball on the fairway.”
Coetzee will also have to be wary of compatriot Aiken whose 68 produced a mixed bag of six birdies and three bogeys.
Aiken stressed: “I went the conservative route today so all in all I’m happy and I’m nicely positioned. Hopefully, the weather plays its part and we get a fair test of golf.”
Live coverage of the final round in Mauritius begins Sunday at 9am on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.