Yesterday the day ended in Cape Town with ten players tied at the top and this morning at around 10:45 Spanish time the tournament had up to 17 players sharing the lead. Not even the oldest locals remember something like this happening after almost 45 holes of championship. The day went on, the wind wreaking havoc and finally there is only one player at the top. However, 24 players within a three-stroke margin at the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.
The wind has been one of the protagonists throughout the day, but in the last three hours of play it has increased and has taken its toll on the players who were still on the field. In fact, of the ten who started today at the top, only three remain among the top fifteen. The leader is Mikael Linberg who came from behind and signed an early 65 that have boosted him to the top. The Swede will seek tomorrow the second victory of his career in the Challenge Tour after the one won in his homeland two years ago.
One of those players who is just two strokes from the lead is Victor Pastor. After signing 65 strokes yesterday at Royal Cape Golf Club, the Andalusian set out with the intention of sealing a ‘moving day’ that would allow him to continue climbing positions in the table and why not start dreaming of something big. Objective achieved. The Cordovan delivers a card of four under par. He enters the top just one stroke from second place and two strokes from the lead. Today he was four from the top, now he is just a couple. After two second places, the Spaniard will seek the first victory of his career in the Challenge Tour. Will tomorrow be the big day?: “I’m not going to lie, I’m two strokes away, I think I can win, but it’s not something that’s going to keep me awake. We are 24 players in just three strokes, it seems that there won’t be so much wind and a low round will be needed tomorrow to win. I have to try to go out with the same attitude of the last two days, be patient and if tomorrow the winning round comes out, welcome” Victor concluded for Ten Golf. Prudence and illusion. Prudence and illusion.
The day did not start well for Victor who after signing five straight pars fell a painful bogey on the sixth flag. Pastor falls, Pastor gets up, gets excited and gets into the fight. Bogey on hole six? Then he responds with birdie, birdie, par, birdie and finishes with an eagle on hole eleven. Easy. In the final stretch, the Spaniard also faced the wind that was already blowing with great intensity. Bogey on 13 and birdie on 16 to finish with four under par.
“I’m still very sharp from the tee and with a very orderly game, it could have been a slightly lower round even, but it could also have been complicated. Very happy and keep going”, this is how the Spaniard summed up his day in which he also added his second eagle of the week.
Great day also for Joel Moscatel who has been showing great regularity all week. Minus two, minus one and minus three are the results handed in at the clubhouse in the first three days of the tournament for a total of six under par. Tomorrow he will seek to climb positions in the table. The top 10 is no utopia. The other Spaniard in the fray, Alejandro Cañizares, finished the day 54th in the table after tying with the field in today’s round.
