Bay of St. Francis — George Coetzee asserts that there is no magic formula for winning golf, but the 13-time champion on the Sunshine Tour enjoyed more than a few ounces of inspiration on Saturday, when a bogey-free 67 propelled him back to the top of the leader board after the third round of the PGA Championship at the St Francis Links.
Two birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine, including two consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, propelled Coetzee to 11-under par for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Rhys West’s 68.
Casey Jarvis scored a 71 on Saturday and is tied for the lead with Stefan Wears-Taylor (67), Jake Redman (68), and Hennie Otto (68) at nine-under-par (69).
It was not Coetzee’s intention to avoid bogeys; he simply wanted to play good golf. “This course has some bite, so you’ll need to determine where you can and cannot be aggressive.
“I believe I did a good job of striking a balance between pars on the difficult holes and birdies on the easier ones. Experience is more dependent on actions than on knowledge.
“However, it does help that I am more cautious on a course I don’t know well; I tend to play the way the course wants me to.
“I believe that only Tiger Woods knew how to win; the rest of us are still learning.” “I’ve won a few events, but there’s no trend or secret formula,” remarked Coetzee.
Jarvis got two eagles on the front nine, the first on the par-five third hole and the second on the par-four fifth hole, but he lost the lead to Coetzee following a double-bogey six on the par-four 15th.
Last week’s winner of the Vodacom Origins of Golf final, Combrinck Smit (66), Luke Jerling (67), Peter Karmis (67), and Martin Vorster are among the four golfers on seven-under-par who will be vying for the title in the final round on Sunday (71).
The 36-year-old Coetzee has won numerous titles, including the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series event at De Zalze in August, and has clear goals for the final round.
Coetzee stated, “I will aim to make good decisions, play solid golf, and be thrilled about playing under pressure.”
The scores at the conclusion of Round 3
205 — George Coetzee 67 71 67
206 — Rhys West 68 70 68
Stefan Wears-Taylor shot 69-71-67, Jake Redman shot 72-67-68, Hennie Otto shot 69-69-69, and Casey Jarvis shot 68-68-71.
209 — Combrinck Smit 71 72 66, Luke Jerling 74 68 67, Peter Karmis 72 70 67, Martin Vorster 71 67 71
211 — Jean Hugo 70 73 68, Danie Van Niekerk 67 73 71
212 — Jean-Paul Strydom 72 72 68, Doug McGuigan 72 72 68, Samuel Simpson 69 72 71, Erhard Lambrechts 71 70 71, Dylan Mostert 72 68 72, Hennie O’Kennedy 68 70 74
213 — Sean Bradley 72 72 69, Heinrich Bruiners 74 70 69, Jacques Blaauw 73 71 69, Clinton Grobler 72 72 69, Albert Venter 73 70 70, Jake Roos 68 74 71, Malcolm Mitchell 70 68 75
214 – Bradley Bawden, 72 72 70, and Robin Williams, 72 70 72
Sunshine Travel