– The Englishman Eddie Pepperell (-11) and the South African Dylan Naidoo (-11) lead the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open after the third round, having signed cards of 69 and 66 strokes, respectively, at the Mont Choisy Le Golf in Mauritius. Pepperell, this time, seems determined to regain the winning path, the one he lost more than six years ago (he holds two victories on the DP World Tour, both in 2018). As for Naidoo…
– Naidoo is a 26-year-old South African and World Number 675, a player on the Sunshine Tour, a circuit where he won a tournament in 2022 and now, this week, in Mauritius, he leads a peculiar pack of contenders aiming for their first win on the European circuit: twelve of the thirteen players lined up behind Pepperell on the leaderboard have zero wins to their name and today they will dream of a debut victory to boost their careers. All except John Parry, who has won once. Namely: Dylan Naidoo, Jacob Skov Olesen (-10), Jovan Rebula (-9), Jayden Schaper (-8), Corey Shaun (-8), Christiaan Burke (-7), Clement Sordet (-7), Hamish Brown (-6), Andreas Halvorsen (-6), Ben Schmidt (-6), Ricky Hendler (-6), and Wilco Nienaber (-6). Some with a bit more experience (Sordet, for example) and others with very little to almost none, but all with that same common denominator.
– Pepperell, let’s not forget, once reached World Number 32, but much has happened since then and, in fact, he has hit rock bottom, after losing his full playing rights on the European circuit this year. He may have a pack of contenders behind him who have not yet won, but his battle, without a doubt, will also be a relentless fight against himself tomorrow. It’s impossible to determine which is more difficult: climbing out of the hole, as is Pepperell’s case, or winning for the first time, as the rest of the candidates will attempt?
– Unfortunately, up to six Spaniards had gathered at this tournament in the same circumstance, without any victory in the top division of European golf (all except Adri Arnaus), but none will start on Sunday with reasonable chances of victory. Iván Cantero (-2) is the best placed after signing a very eventful card of 72 strokes, par for the day. They all needed a powerful and electric Saturday, but none have been able to produce it on a course and under conditions where it is really challenging to play decisively on the attack, with so much wind and those treacherous greens.
– Nevertheless, there are those who have shown they could come from so far back and give themselves a chance, even if only two: Clement Sordet, with his card of 65 strokes, and Corey Shaun (66 strokes). For Cantero (-2), Tarrio (-1), Arnaus (PAR), Ayora (+1), Sebas García (+1), and Moscatel (+3), the challenge remains to finish the year on a high note and see where a great final score could take them.
– Whoever wants to win, in any case, should study how Naidoo putted today, as he gave a masterclass on the greens, sinking everything sinkable and what wasn’t sinkable… Until reaching the 18th hole, where he missed a putt of less than a metre. A final wink from Mont Choisy, as if to ensure no one left unpunished. The young South African started with six birdies in the first seven holes and wasn’t leaving them all close, precisely. A madness.
– Tomorrow, the playing times are brought forward, starting from both tees, so that the leading match will tee off at 9:45 in the morning, local time (6:45 in the peninsula), although no one will escape the wind, as the forecasts are severe in this regard, with gusts throughout the day that could reach and exceed 40 kilometres per hour.
