ST FRANCIS LINKS, Eastern Cape – JJ Senekal will be chasing a place in the history of the South African PGA Championship, sponsored by African Bank, as he takes a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round at St Francis Links.
Senekal signed for a 68 on Saturday to lead on 13 under par, one stroke clear of Barend Botha, who posted a 70. CJ du Plessis is currently third on 11 under par following a 70 of his own.
Pieter Moolman produced a course record 62, including a front nine of 29, and with not a single bogey on his card to climb to 10 under par overall. Even more impressive is that Moolman had made the halfway cut on the mark of par before his course record on Saturday, and he left the golf course and immediately treated himself to a shot of The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
It will be an intriguing final round, with some wind expected to test the field.
Senekal tees off with the experience of having won three times, including on the European Challenge Tour. He also has fond memories of St Francis Links having won his first Sunshine Tour title here in 2013, and he finished third in the South African PGA Championship in 2014. His performance this week in particular has been a much-needed boost in confidence following his struggles with injury over the past few months.
But behind him, the future of South African golf is also lining up a possible place alongside some of the legends on this trophy.
Botha impressed all with his two victories on the PGA Tour Americas this year, which has earned him playing privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour. The 22-year-old came into this week with a sixth-place finish in last week’s Vodacom Origins of Golf at Oubaai, and clearly has the mental fortitude to manage a final round battle on this stage. He started his third round with a double bogey six on the first and managed to regroup thereafter to remain in contention.
Wynand Dingle, who led the tournament for two days, had a difficult day on Saturday. Dingle dropped to seven under par overall with a third round of 76, including an eight on the par-five 13th hole.
The South African PGA Championship is also proudly supported by the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency (ECPTA), the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, the Kouga Local Municipality, Momentum and Cape St Francis Resort.
