Porteous takes Swazi Open lead

A six-under-par 66 earned Lyle Rowe a share of the first-round lead at the Lion of Africa Cape Town Open.

A six-under-par 66 earned Lyle Rowe a share of the first-round lead at the Lion of Africa Cape Town Open.

Published May 9, 2014

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Mbabane - Haydn Porteous had a round to remember at the Royal Swazi Sun Country Club on Friday, where he made 18 points to rise into a two-point lead at the Investec Royal Swazi Open.

“I’m feeling pretty confident and I played well today,” said Porteous after moving to 41 points with one round remaining.

“If you gave me 18 points at the start of the day I would definitely have taken it. I’ve played three good rounds and it’s always nice to be leading,” he said.

The promising 19-year-old flew out of the gates on Friday and made birdies at the first and second holes, which indicated that a good score was on the cards.

He made a further four birdies over the front loop to turn with 11 points in hand and solidify his place among the contenders.

Porteous cruised into the back nine with a run of pars until he eagled the 12th hole for five points and moved within two of the lead.

At the time Jaco Ahlers held the top spot, but he made four consecutive bogeys at the end of his round and slid back to sole third on 38 points.

That left a gap for Porteous, who seized his chance and made birdie at the last to secure a two-point lead ahead of the final round.

“I’ve made a couple of good putts from 10 to 15 feet and I’m taking advantage of the par fives out there. Hopefully I can do the same again tomorrow,” said Porteous.

Tyrone Mordt was the nearest chaser after scoring 16 points during the third round. Two points off the pace and sole second, Mordt was ready to contend in the final round.

“I played solidly today and I was bogey-free. It’s nice to be playing well again and I’ll stay focused on the task ahead of me tomorrow,” said Mordt.

Sapa

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