Day three sees Bill Haas and Lee Westwood tied at 4th – Nedbank Golf Challenge
Day three saw the opening round hero, Bill Haas, come crashing down at no. 4 to join the hattrick-hopeful Lee Westwood.
The American, at the start of the event, displayed amazing golf that could have delivered something sweeter than a best 70, had he not dropped strokes on some of the last few holes.
Despite the 2-under lead he had shared with Nicolas Colsaerts on the first day, it was not enough to forgive a bleak last-minute bogey on the 15th par-4 hole by close of day three.
The former FedEx champion was, needless to add, disappointed with that expendable performance.
The kikuyu and one-sided breeze can be forgiving. The formidable 12-man field, so the erring Haas has learnt, not so much.
Louis Oosthuizen, a home favourite to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge trophy after a seven-year South African victory drought, has already expressed difficulty in overcoming Westwood’s discerning performances. He has described them as an “obstacle”.
He stated, “He has an amazing record around this course, he's a world-class player and one of the best ball-strikers in the game”.
“He drives the ball so straight and he has great iron play, so he gives himself so many opportunities for birdies. He's able to take driver on a lot of holes where the rest of us take a three wood. That's how confident he is with that club”.
Haas should take note. It will only be a while before Westy, whom the Challenge’s Tournament Director has described as the best thing that has happened to Nedbank, begins to stir.
Being tied at no. 4 with the Englishman is little consolation, keeping in mind the Brit’s iron-play. Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel are mounting pressure on the round-three leader, Martin Kaymer.
It is now only one full day’s putting that stands between Haas and Westwood and the $1.25 million top prize.
Both work well under pressure and are poised, at no. 4, on precisely the same start-line of the race to the final round on Sunday.
With relentless weather, treacherous fairways and formidable field, this is set to be Charlotte-based Haas’ fight of a lifetime. Will he keep up? Today will tell.
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