PORT ELIZABETH, 5 February 2015 – TuksSport Golf Academy player Andrew van der Knaap braved a robust Westerly wind to vault into the top 10 in Thursday’s third round of the South African Stroke Play Championship at Port Elizabeth Golf Club.
The 21-year-old Centurion golfer was well off the pace after an opening 70 and second round 74, but dipped five strokes below to finish on five-under-par 211.
Van der Knaap lags seven strokes off the pace and shares eighth spot with Frenchman Jeong Weon Ko, Central Gauteng’s Darin de Smidt and Dylan Naidoo, Luke Trocado from Western Province and Boland’s Johan Germishuys.
Reigning SA Stroke Play champion Jason Smith from Irene carded a third round 73 to tie for 22nd on even-par 216, while Centurion’s Hendrikus Stoop and Ruan Conradie from Wingate Park are a stroke further adrift after respective rounds of 71 and 75.
Wingate’s Teaghan Gauche carded a 75 and Rosswell Sinclair registered a 76 to tie for 37th on two over 218.
Frenchman Romain Langasque fired a superb course record eight-under-par 64, while a putting lesson from 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke’s coach helped Boland amateur Armand Scholtz to a sizzling 66 and French ace Ugo Coussaud kept in touch with a 68, but none of it enough to catch South Africa’s Rupert Kaminski on Thursday.
The joint overnight leader and kept his cool under pressure to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
Kaminski erased four bogeys with an eagle, three successive birdies from the seventh and back-to-back birdies at the closing holes for a 69 and a one stroke lead on 12-under-par 204.
Coussaud mixed five gains with one bogey, while Langasque and Scholtz tied for third on 10 under after the Boland amateur notched eight birdies to offset two drops.
First round leader Ewen Ferguson from Scotland carded a 71 to finish alone in fifth on 207, one stroke ahead of Irishman Gavin Moynihan, who registered a two under 70.
To follow live scoring in the final round, click HERE
PHOTO – Andrew van der Knaap; credit Michael Sheehan.