In a weather-interrupted third round on Saturday, De Beer signed for a 66 and Sullivan a 68 to tie for the lead on 19 under par. They are one stroke clear of the South African duo of Cole Stevens and Estiaan Conradie.
Sullivan started the day with a one-shot lead but his bogey-free round was not enough to stave off the challenge from De Beer.
“I’m very happy with how the day went,” said De Beer.
“I didn’t hit the ball exactly how I would’ve liked. I was a little bit shaky off the tee especially, and I had a couple of iffy lies to play out of the rough quite a few times. But I managed that quite well today, which was nice. The iron play and the short game was really solid which was cool. I was able to benefit from that, and to make a nice putt to finish was a big bonus.”
With 11 top-10 finishes in his career already, De Beer is hungry to claim that first victory.
But he admits he cannot afford to even think that far ahead, especially on a golf course where the Sunshine Tour professionals have been rewarded for aggressive golf.
“I definitely think being tied for the lead doesn’t really mean much at this event because everybody’s going to be making so many birdies around you that you can’t really worry about what your score is. You’re just going to have to put your head down and carry on what you’re doing, otherwise you’re just going to get lapped. I’m not going to change my gameplan much because I can’t afford to.
“There’s a long way to go before I can even start thinking of a first win. I need to just make sure that I manage all the little things well and have a solid warm-up before the final round and make sure I take it shot-by-shot and keep myself in the moment. We’ll see where that puts me at the end of the day. I won’t gain anything by worrying about winning or hitting certain scores. I think all I can do is manage it shot-by-shot and see where that finishes at the end of the day.”
Fortress Rookie of the Year leader Benjamin Kedochim is also in contention and heads into the final round just three shots off the lead.
SCORES
197 – Kyle De Beer 66 65 66
197 – Joe Sullivan 69 60 68
198 – Cole Stevens 67 65 66
198 – Estiaan Conradie 66 64 68
199 – Ryan van der Klis 65 68 66
199 – Graham van der Merwe 64 69 66, Tyran Snyders 68 64 67, Travis Procter 63 68 68
200 – Stals Swart 68 67 65
200 – Benjamin Kedochim 67 67 66
201 – Warwick Purchase 70 64 67
201 – Jason Roets 65 68 68
202 – Austin Bautista 70 67 65
202 – Allen John 67 68 67, Greg Snow 68 66 68, Pierre Pellegrin 69 64 69, Tristen Strydom 67 66 69, Altin van der Merwe 65 67 70
203 – Jordan Burnand 66 69 68
203 – Daniel Cronje 66 67 70, Nikhil Rama 63 70 70
204 – Ethan Smith 71 67 66
204 – Jean Baptiste Hakizimana 69 69 66, Martin Leon 71 67 66, Jean-Paul Strydom 69 67 68, Robson Chinhoi 69 66 69, Ricky Hendler 66 67 71, Oliver Goldhill 69 64 71, Rupert Kaminski 67 65 72
205 – Max Orgovanyi 67 70 68
205 – Toto Thimba Jnr 68 67 70, Hennie O’Kennedy 69 65 71
206 – Jacques P de Villiers 68 71 67
206 – James Mack 68 70 68, Gaita Tadeo Rodell 69 68 69, Conner Mackenzie 69 68 69
207 – Celestin Nsanzuwera 68 69 70
207 – Travis Ladner 68 69 70, Thomas Spreadborough 67 70 70
208 – Ruan Korb 68 72 68
208 – Njoroge Kibugu 72 68 68, Keenan Davidse 72 67 69, Lyle Rowe 70 69 69, Dillon Germshuys 69 70 69, Quintin Wilsnach 71 67 70, Rowan Lester 68 70 70, Jaden Deltel 65 73 70, Rigardt Albertse 70 67 71, Luke Jerling 68 68 72
209 – Liam Grehan 72 68 69
209 – Otto Van Buynder 72 67 70, Adam Breen 72 66 71, Karabo Mokoena 69 69 71, Kyle Barker 69 68 72
210 – Simon du Plooy 72 68 70
210 – Jastas Madoya Asena 69 71 70, Willy Deus Kitata 71 69 70, Dusabe Felix 71 67 72
211 – Pierre Viallaneix 68 72 71
212 – Keegan Mclachlan 69 71 72
212 – Wynand Dingle 70 70 72, Shaunak Rama 70 70 72, Neil Schietekat 70 69 73, Tristan Leonard 71 67 74
213 – Kasango Grace 71 69 73
213 – Kian Rose 71 67 75
215 – Adel Balala 68 69 78
Article Link: https://www.compleatgolfer.com/news/de-beer-joins-sullivan-at-the-top/