Ken Borland

Bjerregaard started the final round just one stroke behind Grace, but had slipped three back by the time they reached the seventh after a bogey on the first and a birdie on the sixth, to which the South African replied with birdies on the second and fourth holes.

Bjerregaard sent his tee-shot way left into thick grass and, although he didn’t seem to catch his chip fat or anything, the ball just kept rolling on the hard and fast greens, past the hole and down the shaved bank into the water.

The resulting triple-bogey sent the Dane tumbling to 12-under and bemoaning his bad luck.

Willett bogeyed the seventh, his second dropped shot after a six on the par-five second, but he was soon sporting a cheesy grin again as he grabbed back-to-back birdies around the turn to close to within two shots of Grace.

Last week’s Sun City champion produced some top-class iron play and set up the fascinating prospect of a thrilling back-nine duel with Grace for the title.

Grace also dropped a shot on the seventh after also missing the green left but he saved par on the par-three fifth with a fine up-and-down from the bunker.

Fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen was mounting a late mini-charge as he birdied the 10^th and 11^th holes, having also picked up a shot on the seventh, to go to 12-under-par, in third place but five behind Grace.

The rest of the field is spread out far below Grace, with Francesco Molinari three over for the day and seven behind, Andrew Johnston two-over in the final round and the unfortunate Bjerregaard four-over-par at the turn.

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Grace was five shots ahead after rounds of 62 and 66, but while Saturday’s third round was a struggle for him, it was a joyous breeze for golfers like Lucas Bjerregaard and the in-form Danny Willett.

Bjerregaard started the third round seven shots off the pace but is now in a fine position to continue the recent success of Danish golfers in South Africa, firing a marvellous six-under-par 66 to finish on 15-under, just one stroke behind Grace.

Willett also had an outstanding round, with three birdies on the front nine and four on the back, his only blemish being a double-bogey six on the ninth, as he leapt into third place on 14-under.

Francesco Molinari, in second place overnight, was two under through 10 holes, but he was cowed by the back nine, unable to pick up another shot and was overtaken by Bjerregaard and Willett.

The highlight of the day was Bjerregaard’s roaring finish, the 23-year-old coming in with three successive birdies, following an eagle on the famous par-five 13^th.

“It’s a great position to be in and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. After seven or eight holes it definitely didn’t look like I was going to be in this position, so it was nice to turn things around and play a really solid back nine,” Bjerregaard said.

Grace, in contrast, bogeyed the 17^th and had to save par on the 18^th to limp home, but he was still in good spirits at the end of a tough day. Overcast conditions meant the usual blistering Lowveld heat was absent, but the golfers had to contend with the wind picking up and the ball not travelling as far in the cooler temperatures.

“It was a tough day, but I didn’t play too badly, I wouldn’t call it a bad round. It’s not as if I’m going to the range to try and find something, there’s not much I need to work on. I’ll take the positives into the final round, I’m still ahead and I’ll come with a positive frame of mind tomorrow [Sunday].

“I’m still hitting the ball well, I just need to make better decisions. You always expect one iffy round in a tournament and if that was it then I’m alright with it,” Grace said after an up-and-down round with four bogeys and four birdies.

Bjerregaard actually started his round with a bogey to immediately fall eight shots behind the leader, but there was little fuss from the tall, muscular golfer as he went out in 35 with two birdies and one more dropped shot, before catching fire on the back nine. Blessed with a hot putter, he made hay while the sun didn’t shine.

“I putted really well. Made good ones on 16 and 17, both were about six metres. I didn’t make any really long ones, but I made some good par putts on the front nine, a couple of six-footers to make par and keep things going,” he said.

The strangely cool weather looks set to give way to a typical scorcher in Malelane on Sunday and, while Grace has led wire-to-wire thus far, the threat is writ large from several golfers below him.

Even the little-known Englishman Andrew Johnston is in the mix after he eagled the 18^th to complete a 68 that put him on 12-under.

Louis Oosthuizen also eagled the last hole after a magnificent seven-iron to five feet and he is also not out of the running on 10-under-par after a 68.

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Grace began the penultimate round with a five-shot lead on 16-under-par, but that was cut to four as Molinari birdied the par-four first hole.

But by the end of the front nine, Grace had restored the status quo as he birdied the third, fourth and seventh holes to make up for bogeys at the second and sixth.

The South African had some portions of pressure served to him by Molinari, with the Italian twice closing to within three strokes, after Grace’s bogey at the second and his own birdie at six.

But the par-three seventh saw a two-stroke swing as Molinari’s tee-shot found the bunker and his poor chip saw the ball run 25 feet past the hole and he was unable to make the par putt. Grace, meanwhile, drained his birdie putt from 15 feet.

It made up for the dropped shot on six when Grace’s drive went under a thorn tree and he was forced to punch the ball out back on to the fairway.

Danny Willett, the winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City last weekend, was alone in third place on 11-under-par, the Englishman joining Molinari on 12-under before a double-bogey on the par-four ninth hole pushed him back.

Shaun Norris was the next best South African, going through 10 holes one-under-par to go to 10-under overall, tied for fourth with the Dane, Lucas Bjerregaard.

Tjaart van der Walt, who was in third place after the second round, dropped four strokes on the front nine to tumble down the leaderboard.

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Even though experienced Francesco Molinari, one of the most consistent golfers on the European Tour, climbed rapidly up the leaderboard with a superb seven-under-par 65, Grace built on his phenomenal opening-day 62 and ended the second round on 16-under-par, with the Italian second on 11-under.

Molinari ensured that there is at least still a window of opportunity for Grace to be challenged over the weekend, with Tjaart van der Walt (-10), Shaun Norris, Danny Willett and Lucas Bjerregaard (all on -9) also not a million miles away.

It would have been well-nigh impossible for Grace to raise the bar on his first-round performance, but he still played wonderful golf as he smashed the record for the lowest 36-hole score at this tournament, his 128 improving on the 131 shot by Pablo Martin in 2009 and by Charl Schwartzel and Gregory Bourdy in 2012.

“I’m very chuffed, it was a very good round. It’s always hard after a round like yesterday [Thursday], it’s so easy to come out and try and protect your score, but I didn’t do that, I was out the blocks quickly with birdies on 11 and 13 and I just kept the ball rolling very well,” Grace said after his round, which he began on the 10^th hole.

While comfortable with leading from the front – his last win was wire-to-wire at the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrew’s in 2012 – Grace warned that there were still plenty of realistic challengers milling around below him on the leaderboard.

“I have a good history when I’m leading, at the Alfred Dunhill I was quite a few ahead after two days, so I’ve done it before. I’m just going to stick to what I’m doing and stay patient. On this course, a 10-under could happen again and guys will come at you,” Grace said.

While Grace is a clear favourite to become the fifth South African winner at Leopard Creek, Molinari is a top-class golfer, having previously been as high as 14^th on the world rankings and twice a Ryder Cup winner (2010, 2012), and the 32-year-old took a pragmatic view of his prospects.

“Five shots is obviously still a very good margin, but the greens are firming up nicely and it might be different on the weekend,” Molinari said. “Golf is a strange sport, you do all the right things but you often don’t get the dividends right away. So I work every day of my life, keep trying to improve and just do my best,” Molinari said.

Van der Walt’s 67 was also a marvellous round, marred only by a bogey at the par-four ninth, his closing hole, his putter being the source of much success as he collected six birdies.

“I played well. Leopard Creek is a long golf course for me so I’m not going in with short-irons like some of the other guys, but when I got it on the greens I rolled the putts well. Yesterday and today a couple went in, which kept the momentum going. I’m putting well and if I can get the ball-striking to kick in a bit more then anything can happen at the weekend,” Van der Walt said.

It will obviously take something special, however, to catch Grace, who is playing with the assurance of someone who is enjoying his golf again and feels that he is back to his best.

“I’ve just started enjoying my golf again, I’m playing like in 2012, nice and steady, but it’s going to be two more long days and I just need to push on,” Grace said.

The presence of the in-form Willett in a tie for third place after a 69 that included a double-bogey at the par-three seventh, will no doubt sharpen the mind of Grace.

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