South Africa’s Zander Lombard Leading The Nedbank Golf Challenge

SUN CITY, South Africa – Overnight leader Zander Lombard recovered from a horror start on Saturday to card a par score of 72 and hold a one-shot lead after the third round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club.

Lombard, ranked number 234 in the world and without a win on the European Tour, will head into Sunday with a tournament total of 11 under-par as slippery greens and challenging pin placements meant another day of high scores in the third round.

He saw his overnight lead cut by a shot on Saturday, but is aiming to become the second home player to win ‘Africa’s Major’ since 2008.

The 24-year-old was three over-par after eight holes, a sloppy start following his impressive 65 on Friday, but recovered to card four birdies in his final 10 holes.

He is one shot ahead of compatriot Louis Oosthuizen (71) and Belgian Thomas Detry (69), whose erratic back nine saw him joint leader with Lombard heading down the 18th fairway before a dropped shot.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge is the penultimate tournament in the 2019 Race to Dubai, whose leader, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, carded 70 on Saturday for a tournament total of six under-par and a share of sixth position.

(Reporting By Nick Said; Editing by Christian Radnedge)