Craig Lile turned professional on Guy Fawkes Day in 2001 and he certainly set off a few fireworks at the Woodhill Country Club during the third round of the Telkom PGA Championships on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Capetonian surged into a two-shot lead after shooting a five-under-par 67 for a total of 200, 16 under par.
One shot back lies Warrick Druian, who finished with two birdies to shoot a four-under-68, with Desvonde Botes, also with a 68, another stroke behind at 14-under for the tournament.
A group of four players is lying at 13-under — defending champion Michiel Bothma, Michael Kirk, Jean Hugo and Thomas Aiken —
with Garth Mulroy and England’s Sandeep Grewal another shot back.
The start of play was delayed until just after 10am on Saturday after heavy rains fell over the course during the night and early morning.
But that did not stop Lile, who made the best of the conditions and rocketed into the lead with five birdies on the front nine.
Unfortunately for him they dried up on the back nine but his early performance was good enough to keep him in the lead.
”Through eight holes I didn’t miss a shot. I knew there was only one place the ball was going and that was the flag.
”But from the ninth tee I never felt comfortable and I knew there was only one place the ball wasn’t going and that was the flag,” said Lile.
He had told his father, Norman, at the start of the tournament that his goal was to shoot 20-under for the tournament.
”I felt that if someone beats me on that score then they’ve played well and they deserve to win.
”This course is there for the taking and quite honestly, I’m surprised to be leading after a five-under today.”
His birdie glut began at the par-five third hole with a pitch to five feet, continued at four, five and six and then ended at the eighth.
”After that I ran into the desert,” quipped Lile.
Druian will undoubtedly rue his bogey at the par-three second hole but after that he found his rhythm to pick up two shots on the front nine — five and nine to turn one under. He scored his third birdie on the par-five 11th, the most birdied hole on the course, and then finished with two more for his four-under 68.
Despite two drop shots on the front nine, Botes made a charge midway through his round and it appeared he would trouble Lile after birdies on eight, nine, 11, 12 and 16. But he failed to take advantage on the par-five 17th and made a good up-and-down at 18 after a wayward tee shot.
Hugo again failed to find any consistency and ended up two-under for the round after five birdies and three bogeys.
With 16 players lying within five shots of the leader, Sunday’s final round promises to be a tense affair. — Sapa