Bolognesi hits the front in SA
Italy's Andrea Bolognesi has hit the front in Thursday's third round of the South African Amateur stroke play championship - courtesy of Brandon Stone.
The South African No 1 amateur had looked unstoppable after the second round when he led by five strokes at Johannesburg's Glendower Golf Club, but Stone hit a third round wobble on Thursday and squandered his lead, shooting a 3-over 75 to fall two shots behind Bolognesi and one behind teenager Haydn Porteous, South Africa's second ranked amateur.(Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Wood)
His share of third place on seven-under-par 209 will see him line up alongside England's Toby Tree (69) and fellow South Africans Desne van den Bergh (70) and Soweto Country Club's Musi Nethunzi (68).
As far as Stone is concerned, he is just two shots off behind Bolognesi, who surged into the lead at 9-under 207 with a 68 and one behind Porteous, who turned in a 69 and is certainly not out of contention.
"My campaign took a knock today, but the championship is still very much on," he declared.
"Maybe it was the 90 minute delay this morning, maybe it was just my turn, but my Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Wood definitely took the day off.
"It was a very frustrating day, especially because I was looking to post another good score after my 66 and 68. But that's exactly how golf goes. Of course I'm disgusted with the round, but rounds like these you just have to write it off to experience.
"What's done is done, you can't change a thing, so look ahead and change what you can."
Birdies at two and five took Stone to 12 under, but an unlucky lie after a decent tee shot at the eighth was the start of his woes.
"I had to hit my second from an awkward stance with both feet in a fairway bunker with the ball level with my knees," said Stone, "The my approach caught the greenside trap and I had a plugged lie. I scooped it out to 10-feet and two-putted for bogey."
Perhaps still fuming about making a bogey on a birdie hole, Stone's tee shot at nine went left into the trees.
Stone dropped from the same spot but this time hit it to three feet and sank the putt for a triple bogey.
While Bolognesi did catch a break from Stone's mid-round meltdown, the Italian put in some hard work of own, especially over the front nine.
After birdies at the second and fifth, the 20-year-old from Cervia near Bologna took the lead with a brace of birdies before the turn and nullified a drop at the 10th with a birdie at the 15th to finish with a four-under-par 68.
"It was a great round for me today, especially over the first nine holes," he said. "I struggled a little to find birdies on the back nine, but tee to green, I played Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Woodvery well.
"I'm looking forward to the final round. The leaderboard is quite exciting and it is going to be a dog fight until the end, I think. Hopefully, I will be the top dog."
Porteous birdied eight and nine for an outward loop of 32. He then birdied 12 but gave one back at the 13th for a third successive day and retaliated at the par-five 15th for a fourth birdie to edge into second on the leaderboard.
Nenthunzi forced his way into the final group with a flawless 68, but it could have been better.
"I hit every green in regulation and the Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Wood worked well, too," said the Gary Player School of Champions student.
"I left two birdies out there at the closing holes, though. I lipped out for a five-footer at 17 and left one in the jaws at 18. It was one of my best rounds recently and I will bring that same game to the course on Friday."
The South African No 1 amateur had looked unstoppable after the second round when he led by five strokes at Johannesburg's Glendower Golf Club, but Stone hit a third round wobble on Thursday and squandered his lead, shooting a 3-over 75 to fall two shots behind Bolognesi and one behind teenager Haydn Porteous, South Africa's second ranked amateur.(Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Wood)
His share of third place on seven-under-par 209 will see him line up alongside England's Toby Tree (69) and fellow South Africans Desne van den Bergh (70) and Soweto Country Club's Musi Nethunzi (68).
As far as Stone is concerned, he is just two shots off behind Bolognesi, who surged into the lead at 9-under 207 with a 68 and one behind Porteous, who turned in a 69 and is certainly not out of contention.
"My campaign took a knock today, but the championship is still very much on," he declared.
"Maybe it was the 90 minute delay this morning, maybe it was just my turn, but my Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Wood definitely took the day off.
"It was a very frustrating day, especially because I was looking to post another good score after my 66 and 68. But that's exactly how golf goes. Of course I'm disgusted with the round, but rounds like these you just have to write it off to experience.
"What's done is done, you can't change a thing, so look ahead and change what you can."
Birdies at two and five took Stone to 12 under, but an unlucky lie after a decent tee shot at the eighth was the start of his woes.
"I had to hit my second from an awkward stance with both feet in a fairway bunker with the ball level with my knees," said Stone, "The my approach caught the greenside trap and I had a plugged lie. I scooped it out to 10-feet and two-putted for bogey."
Perhaps still fuming about making a bogey on a birdie hole, Stone's tee shot at nine went left into the trees.
Stone dropped from the same spot but this time hit it to three feet and sank the putt for a triple bogey.
While Bolognesi did catch a break from Stone's mid-round meltdown, the Italian put in some hard work of own, especially over the front nine.
After birdies at the second and fifth, the 20-year-old from Cervia near Bologna took the lead with a brace of birdies before the turn and nullified a drop at the 10th with a birdie at the 15th to finish with a four-under-par 68.
"It was a great round for me today, especially over the first nine holes," he said. "I struggled a little to find birdies on the back nine, but tee to green, I played Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Woodvery well.
"I'm looking forward to the final round. The leaderboard is quite exciting and it is going to be a dog fight until the end, I think. Hopefully, I will be the top dog."
Porteous birdied eight and nine for an outward loop of 32. He then birdied 12 but gave one back at the 13th for a third successive day and retaliated at the par-five 15th for a fourth birdie to edge into second on the leaderboard.
Nenthunzi forced his way into the final group with a flawless 68, but it could have been better.
"I hit every green in regulation and the Titleist 909 F3 Fairway Wood worked well, too," said the Gary Player School of Champions student.
"I left two birdies out there at the closing holes, though. I lipped out for a five-footer at 17 and left one in the jaws at 18. It was one of my best rounds recently and I will bring that same game to the course on Friday."