Bryan Newman of South Africa is in pole position to win the Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek after a 4-under 68 gave him a commanding five-shot lead after today’s third round.

The 17-year-old sits at the top of the leaderboard on a 10-under total of 206, with fellow countryman and overnight leader Roelof Craig carding a disappointing three-over-par 75 to slip back into second place on five-under-par.

Newman started strongly with birdies on the 4th, 6th, and 9th holes to go out in 32 and responded in fine fashion to two dropped shots after the turn to make a superb eagle at the par-5 13th.

A birdie at the last may prove crucial to the outcome of the championship with Roelof’s double-bogey on the same hole seeing the gap between the two increase to five strokes.

“I'm really happy with the way I played”, said Newman. “I had a good front nine, which I've struggled with in the last few days, so I was finally happy to have a good start. I managed to keep it together on the back nine.

“It helps to have a good lead but there's still 18 holes to go. I’m just going to try and make a lot of pars and not make too many mistakes. I try not to think about winning and the exemption into The Open, but I'm sure it pops into everyone's minds every now and again. I’m definitely still going to try and just play my game.”

Roelof got off to a positive start with a birdie on the first, but he went on to make double-bogeys on the 9th and 18th, which dented his chances of keeping pace with Newman heading into tomorrow’s final round.

“I didn't play my best today,” said Roelof. “I made a couple of good saves, but it wasn't my best round. Tomorrow is another day. The game plan is just to reset and maybe be a bit more aggressive. I know where I want to hit it.”

South Africa’s Johndre Ludick and Michael Karanga of Kenya are tied for third place on four-under-par, one shot ahead of Zimbabwe’s Keegan Shutt, who once again showed his fondness for Leopard Creek with a six-under-par 66 to follow last year’s 62 in the final round of the championship.

“I think this is just one of these courses where things start going right for me; they just keep on going, and I continue to make birdies,” said Shutt.

“If I can repeat what I did today, tomorrow, I'll be very happy. The putter was hot today, which it wasn't in the first two days, so if the putter continues to stay hot I think it'll be a good day again tomorrow.”

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Kruger National Park, the Africa Amateur Championship provides a world-class platform for the region’s rising talent to compete on the international stage.

The winner of the Africa Amateur Championship will earn exemptions into The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, The Amateur Championship, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, The Investec South African Open and the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq.

Rolex is an event partner of the Africa Amateur Championship and is committed to supporting The R&A’s professional and amateur championships. The Swiss watchmaker’s contribution to excellence in golf is based on a rich heritage stretching back almost 60 years, forged through pivotal partnerships at every level of the game, from the sport’s leading professional and amateur competitions and organisations, to players at the pinnacle of their discipline and younger talents embarking on their journey towards greatness.

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