Sunday 17 January 2016 18:33, UK
Anthony Wall will go into the final round of the Joburg Open in a share of the lead as overnight leader Ross McGowan struggled on day three.
Wall fired a rock-solid 68 to make it a three-way tie at the top on 15 under, but fellow Englishman McGowan saw his three-stroke advantage turn into a two-shot deficit as he laboured to a disappointing 73 - one of only four over-par rounds among the top 23 players.
Wall, whose only European Tour win was at the Alfred Dunhill Championship back in 2000, made quiet but effective progress throughout the day as he birdied the fourth and ninth to turn in 35, and a sublime approach to three feet at the 10th set up his third birdie of the day.
The 40-year-old picked up another shot at the 13th, although he failed to take advantage of the friendly par-five last and carded a fifth straight par which capped an error-free round and left him tied at the top with home pair Zander Lombard and Haydn Porteous.
"I drove the ball well. That was my weakness the first two days, today I was great off the tee," Wall told the European Tour. "I holed a couple of good long ones, but I also missed three or four I could have holed, so all-in-all it was a good day.
"I've got a great chance tomorrow. But they're all good players, someone's going to be a little luckier tomorrow and win, so hopefully it's me."
Lombard set the clubhouse target at 15 under with an entertaining 65 which included three birdies in four holes at each end of his round, although he did blot his card with bogeys at the third and 11th.
He was soon matched by Porteous, who holed from a bunker to eagle the first before giving both shots back at the third and fourth, but he recovered to salvage a 68 with birdies at the final two holes.
American Daniel Im kept a bogey off his card as he powered up the leaderboard with a superb seven-birdie 65 that swept him to 13 under alongside Jacques Blaauw, who was one over for the day before providing a spectacular finish.
Blaauw leapt back into contention with birdies at 15, 16 and 17 before rolling in an eagle putt at the last to round off a 67.
Rookie Paul Dunne joined the group at 13 under despite a double-bogey at the 11th and a bogey at 17, the Irishman making seven birdies in his encouraging 68.
McGowan looked set to build on his halfway lead when he started with a confident birdie, but he bogeyed the second and split further birdies at six and eight with a scrappy six at the seventh, where he drove into a hazard and then chunked a chip from just short of the green.
The 33-year-old also dropped shots at the 10th and 13th, but he was all smiles after walking off the 18th green with a birdie for a 73 which left him just two behind the leaders.
Meanwhile, four-time major winner Ernie Els gave himself a confidence boost as he climbed to eight under for the tournament with a bogey-free 68 early in the day.
