This close! South African Casey Jarvis currently leads the field at the 115th SA Open in Stellenbosch and will look to put in another faultless display in the final round to capture his maiden SA crown.
Image: Carl Fourie | Sunshine Tour
The final round of the 115th South African Open is set up neatly, with a tightly packed leaderboard and a strong home presence chasing the title.
At the front is Casey Jarvis at 11-under-par. The 22-year-old arrived at Stellenbosch Golf Club fresh from claiming his maiden DP World Tour title at the Kenya Open last weekend, where he showed composure beyond his years to close it out.
Now, that same level-headedness is needed as he has an opportunity to make it back-to-back wins and secure his first SA Open crown in the process. The result would cap an impressive fortnight for the youngster.
Jarvis tees off at 11:31 alongside Italy’s Francesco Laporta and fellow South African Hennie du Plessis in the final round, both one shot back at 10-under. Just behind them, there is no shortage of contenders. Locals Xander Basson and Kieron Van Wyk are at seven-under and go out at 11:20 with Scotland’s Calum Hill.
Earlier, at 11:09, England’s Nathan Kimsey joins Daniel van Tonder and France’s Frederic Lacroix. Brandon Grace and Haydn Porteous, both at six-under, head out at 10:58 with Spain’s Angel Ayora, while Dean Burmester tees off at 10:47 alongside England’s Joe Dean and Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello.
With so many within reach, Sunday is unlikely to be straightforward, as the weather conditions looks set to impact the players as well.
Jarvis, though, looks to be settled and is looking forward to the final day.
“The home fans are amazing, I love playing here,” he said.
“I am looking forward to the challenge on Sunday. There are a lot of good players up the leaderboard. So, I think it is all about sticking to my game plan. The course is really tough; however, I tried something different this week by staying more patient, and I've been managing my game really well.”
“There were not a lot of expectations coming into the tournament, despite winning in Kenya, and I didn't have a good practice session. However, once I got out on the course on Wednesday, I felt really comfortable. I feel that the home crowd is on my side, so I don't feel much pressure with them around. I love playing in front of the home crowd.”