Haydn Porteous is on track to defend his SA Stroke Play title at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa. Photo: Piet Els
School was a strong wind and a prickly golf course in Thursday’s third round of the South African Stroke Play Championship in George, and it appears Haydn Porteous took his lessons well.
The South African number one and defending champion signed for a two-under 70 at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa to lead the field on 10 under par, two strokes clear of Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti, Australia’s Brady Watt and South African Werner Ferreira.
Porteous is the first to admit he has struggled with his concentration during key rounds, and his start of two bogeys in his first three holes on Thursday suggested he was headed this way again.
But three birdies to the turn pulled him back under par for the round, and he added a further two birdies and one more bogey on the second nine.
“It wasn’t such a bad thing for me to start with those bogeys because it made me concentrate more, especially in the tough conditions,” said Porteous.
“I just kept telling myself that nobody was going to shoot 66 or 65 in these conditions, and that it was just a question of getting through today with as little damage as possible and not throwing away the tournament.”
