The price you pay for inaccuracy at the Royal Harare Golf Club is steep but Michael Hollick continues to largely avoid that problem with his precise game taking him to the top of the leaderboard after the third and penultimate round of the FBC Zim Open on Saturday.
Hollick followed up his first two rounds of 66 and 67 with an impressive 68 in the third round, leaving him on 15-under-par and enjoying a one-stroke lead going into Sunday’s final round.
The one-time Sunshine Tour winner made a slow start on Saturday, with a bogey on the par-three second meaning he was one-over after four holes. But he then birdied the fifth and sixth holes and began the back nine birdie-birdie. Hollick followed up a bogey on the par-three 15th with an eagle on the 16th and then birdied 17 before dropping a shot on the last hole to halve his lead.
“This golf course is very demanding, there’s not a lot of room for error. You have to be accurate, it’s like a game of chess out there,” Hollick said. “The greens are super-quick, probably the fastest we play on all year and they are very firm now after three days.
“They’re also all elevated with run-offs and narrow entrances to the greens, so if you don’t hit your target then you’re unlikely to get up-and-down. But I’m definitely feeling good, the last few months have been good for me and success breeds confidence. My swing and my short game are good and I’m just sticking to my guns,” Hollick said.
While other golfers have found the back nine at Royal Harare Golf Club especially testing, Hollick’s cool and calm approach saw him prosper there on Saturday as he came home in 33 shots, one or two strokes less than anyone else in the top four.
“Of late, I’ve been making a bogey at the start of my round but I’ve always been able to recover. I’m quite relaxed, so I just carry on, knowing a birdie is probably around the corner.
“On the back nine today, I hit all the fairways, except for 18 and hit some nice irons, which makes it much easier to get those birdies,” Hollick said.
The evergreen Darren Fichardt is the chief challenger to Hollick, his 69 on Saturday lifting him to 14-under. The 48-year-old had four birdies and three bogeys but an eagle at the par-five sixth made all the difference.
Kieran Vincent is the chief home hope on 11-under after a 67, leaving him tied for third with Anthony Michael (71). But two more Zimbabweans, Benjamin Follett-Smith and Kieran’s older brother Scott are one shot further back, alongside MJ Viljoen (66).
Follett-Smith fired the low round of the day, a seven-under-par 65, and was five-under at the turn.
Scores
201 - Michael Hollick 66 67 68
202 - Darren Fichardt 67 66 69
205 - Kieran Vincent 71 67 67, Anthony Michael 67 67 71
206 - Benjamin Follett-Smith 70 71 65, MJ Viljoen 68 72 66, Scott Vincent 67 73 66
207 - JC Ritchie 69 69 69
208 - Rupert Kaminski 72 67 69, Martin Vorster 70 62 76
209 - Gerhard Pepler 71 69 69, Fredrik From 71 69 69, Jaco Ahlers 65 71 73
210 - Doug McGuigan 68 73 69, Louis Albertse 70 70 70, Combrinck Smit 68 70 72
211 - Hennie O'Kennedy 73 69 69, Hennie Otto 72 70 69, Gregory Mckay 75 64 72
212 - Keegan Mclachlan 72 72 68, Keagan Thomas 71 73 68, Jaco Van Zyl 70 73 69, Nikhil Rama 73 69 70, Craig Ross 72 68 72
213 - Daniel van Tonder 71 72 70, Jovan Rebula 70 72 71, Brandon Gildenhuys 73 69 71, Irvin Mazibuko 71 69 73, Robson Chinhoi 72 68 73
214 - Dylan Mostert 71 74 69, Stuart Krog 73 72 69, Jaco Prinsloo 74 71 69, Danie Van Niekerk 71 73 70, Yurav Premlall 70 74 70, Dylan O'Leary 71 72 71, Jason Roets 67 76 71, Ian Snyman 74 67 73
215 - Pride Sembo 74 70 71, Kyle McClatchie 73 71 71, Lyle Rowe 72 71 72, Conner Mackenzie 70 72 73, Toto Thimba Jnr 72 70 73, Madalitso Muthiya 69 72 74
216 - Ruan Korb 74 71 71, Nick Cunningham 71 73 72, Christiaan Basson 71 73 72, Herman Loubser 69 74 73, Ethan Smith 71 70 75
217 - Kyle Barker 70 75 72, Luke Brown 72 72 73, Kyle De Beer 70 72 75
218 - Ricky Hendler 71 74 73, Biggie Chibvuri 71 73 74, Rhys West 73 70 75, Jacques Blaauw 67 75 76, Mohammad Rauf Mandhu 73 69 76
219 - Mathew Bramford 71 74 74
220 - Neil Schietekat 74 70 76, Warwick Purchase 69 74 77
221 - Brandon Meads 72 72 77
224 - Jacques P de Villiers 73 72 79
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