• Africa Open, Round Three

Oosthuizen battles to hold lead

ESPN staff
January 6, 2012
Danny Willett could be a threat on Sunday after a round of 65 © Getty Images
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Louis Oosthuizen faces a battle to defend his Africa Open title after being reeled in at the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes remaining in East London.

The 2010 Open champion fired a sizzling round of 62 on Friday to surge into a two-stroke lead but failed to replicate the same form and was joined at the head of affairs by Tjaart Van der Walt who fired a 65 to Oosthuizen's 67.

Oosthuizen made a sizzling start, with a birdie, birdie, birdie opening prompting talk of a record-breaking round - but his game dried up from the fourth and his play began to get increasingly ragged.

And as Oosthuizen faltered, his playing partners Van der Walt and Retief Goosen seized their chance.

The round was summed up at the 13th as, while Goosen and Van der Walt peppered the flag with exquisite approaches which yielded birdies, Oosthuizen badly misjudged a wedge, coming up five yards short of the green, and had to settle for a par.

Oosthuizen steadied the ship with a birdie on 15 and repeated the dose on 16, having driven through the green on the par-four. The birdie took him level with Van der Walt and the pair birdied 18 to move to 21-under.

Goosen is a shot adrift of the two leaders at 20-under following an excellent round of 66.

Danny Willett put himself firmly in contention with a round of 65. The Englishman led the field at one stage, but a disappointing bogey five on 18 left him on 19-under for the tournament.

Richard Sterne took the plaudits for the low round of the day, as seven birdies and an eagle helped him sign for a 64 and moved him up to 17-under.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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