Wilco Nienaber (-25) has half the NTT Data Pro Am trophy in his pocket. Another round of 66 strokes, this time on the Montagu course, has shot him up the leaderboard with 18 holes to go. The tournament is in his hands. Only he can lose it, although it wouldn’t be the first time. If there’s one thing this young and outstanding golfer has struggled with, it’s closing championships. This Sunday, he will play the final round on the The Links course with a six-stroke lead over second place, Jacques Blaauw (-19), eight over Kyle Barker (-17), and ten over fourth place. Only a collapse by Wilco can prevent what seems inevitable.
Nienaber is seeking his second win at the same venue where he achieved his first and only victory. It was also at Fancourt where he opened his record by winning the then-called Dimension Data Pro Am. That was in 2021, when he was barely 20 years old and emerged as one of the great promises of world golf. He hasn’t confirmed it yet, but he still has time. Next April, he will turn 25.
The tournament doesn’t have much more history. It’s simply a matter of knowing whether Nienaber will hold on and be able to secure the victory or if, on the contrary, the final round becomes complicated and someone can come from behind. In principle, the forecast is good, so many birdies can be made. A bad day for Wilco could open doors for one of the two behind him.
As for the Spaniards, obviously, there is no chance of victory, as the leader is in another dimension, but Santi Tarrio (-11) still has the possibility of achieving a more than interesting top 10. It would be a good way to close the South African tour. The Galician shot 67 on the Montagu course, opening and closing the round wonderfully, with two and three consecutive birdies. He is one stroke away from the top 10 and four from the top 5.
Further back are Lucas Vacarisas (-7), Victor Pastor (-7), and Quim Vidal (-6), who made the cut just in time, right at the number needed and entering at the end. Special mention to Pastor, who signed a card of 67 strokes today at The Links to make the cut. Good effort also from Albert Boneta (-5). He shot 67 at Outeniqua, but it wasn’t enough to make the cut. The downside of the day was for Sebas García (-5). The Madrid native started the day as the best Spaniard, even with options to get to the top, but had a bad day with 74 strokes at Outeniqua.
