Scott Jamieson is looking to combat the intense heat and celebrate the Festive Season ending a six-year winless drought at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in South Africa.
Jamieson gave the watching hippo’s and water buffalo plenty to cheer about in the 100-degree plus searing heat posting an eagle and six birdies in a round of 68 on the Leopard Creek course bordering the famed Kruger National Park.
It handed the now Florida-based Scot a one-stroke lead at 11-under par over third round playing partner and American, David Lipsky who birdied his closing two holes in a 70 for a 10-under par tally.
Lipsky had drawn level with Jamieson in holing a 15-foot eagle putt at the par-5 15th but produced a horror amateurish display in taking a double-bogey at the next, the par-3 16th when the Las Vegas golfer took four shots to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker.
Temperatures have surpassed 100 degrees ☀️
The hippos have the right idea. pic.twitter.com/c7QsC0btLt
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 15, 2018
The American, who the Tour desperately needs speaking to regarding his slow play, bounced back to birdie 17 and 18.
Jamieson capped his round driving the green at the short par-4 11th and holed the putt for an eagle ‘2’ but then sandwiched a 14th hole double-bogey ‘6’ in between birdies at 13, 15 and 16.
Though there was last hole disappointment when Jamieson, who captured a first Tour event in winning the 2012 one-off and rain-shortened Nelson Mandela Championship, sent his second shot well behind the flag.
Jamieson could be heard remarking to his caddy: “What am I doing laying-up there?”
Scott Jamieson hitting into the last on day 3 of the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Championship. (Photo – Getty/European Tour)
However, there was plenty to be pleased about having played the back-9 holes over the three days in 10-under par and his only hiccup being the double on 14.
He said: “On 14, I hit a pretty good tee shot but it kind of fell into the bunker somehow.
“Overall, it was a solid day. The front nine is the tougher nine.
“It is a golf course where you want to be making birdies but it’s easier to be patient out of the blocks, knowing that it’s a tougher nine.
“It’s easily one of the greatest golf courses in the world, and then you’ve got one of the natural wonders of the world in the Kruger Park right on its doorstep.
“So, any experience of winning helps. I’ve done well in South Africa, but also on this golf course before.
“It’s an awful long way to go still, but hopefully it will be a good final round.
“Adrenalin can keep you going out there, but the minute you walk off the golf course you feel it and it just drains out of you. Mentally it’s hard to stay focused during the round, and to make sure you make the correct decisions when it’s that hot.
“But there’s still a long way to go and I’m not getting ahead of myself. A lot can happen in 18 holes, especially on this golf course, this back nine, where there’s so much risk-reward.
“Hopefully I can get the win but let’s see what happens”.
Jamieson is clearly a fan of doing well in the Rainbow Nation as a week after capturing the Nelson Mandela he headed to Leopard Creek to finish T3rd also in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
As 2013 dawned, Jamieson was runner-up in the Volvo Champions in Durban.
And 13-months ago Jamieson captured the biggest cheque of his pro career and earning £640,000 in finishing runner-up in the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City.
A sunburnt-looking Marc Warren bounced back from a second hole double-bogey ‘7’ to grab five birdies in a level par 72 and be sharing fifth place on seven-under par with fellow Scot David Drysdale who signed for a 71.
Drysdale was two-under for his round teeing-up on the par-5 15th but walked off with bogey ‘6’.
The Cockburnsmouth golfer then played a great bunker shot at the par-3 16th landing his ball to within tap-in distance but horribly missed his par putt.
Drysdale, and sporting a ‘goatie’, then showed his disgust in taking a second straight bogey by back-handing his ball into the water guarding the right-side of the green.
He got one shot back with a great birdie putt at the par-4 17th.
