Louis Oosthuizen, who shot blistering 2nd round 62 on Friday to take the halfway lead at the Africa Open, has rocketed out of his blocks with three straight birdies in Saturday's third round.
Louis Oosthuizen on the charge in Buffaloe City
And it has taken him from 15-under on Friday to 18-under at the East London Golf Club and kept him two shots clear of his closest pursuers, Tjaart van de Walt, Thomas Aiken and Retief Goosen, all of South Africa, and Englishman Danny Willett.
Van de Walt matched playing partner Oosthuizen by opening with three straight birdies, Willett and Goosen got three birdies each on their first four holes and yet another South African, Thomas Aiken picked up two shots over the same number of holes.
Without any real wind to speak of at this early stage, the East London Golf Club lacked many of it's most vicious teeth, but with the wind expected to stiffen over the next 36 hours and thunder storms forecast for Sunday, this old, but highly ranked Eastern Cape Golf course could get a lot tougher in the near future.
Oosthuizen had posted one further birdie at the 7th when he reached the turn in 4-under for the round and at 19-under overall, but playing partners Goosen, seeking his first European Tour title in five years, and unheralded Van de Walt were closing in on him, each just one shot back at five under for the day and 18-under for the tournament.
Willett was six under for the day through ten holes and up to fourth as he stepped up his bid for a first European Tour title.
Richard Sterne, making an impressive first appearance after spending 11 months on the sidelines while recovering from a serious back injury, was only a shot further back on 17-under after shooting a sparkling 9-under 64.
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