Scan for the Dunhill value

David John previews the Alfred Dunhill Championship and fancies a pair of Scandinavians to go well.

Market leader Charl Schwartzel provides some food for thought this week as he heads the betting for the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.

He defends the title he won by a whopping 12 shots 12 months ago in what he has admitted is his one of his favourite events on his favourite course.

Very few players in the field have his ability but he did show at Glendower that if the technical side of his game is a little off track then pushing home that advantage in talent is virtually impossible.

So punters now have to weigh up whether the 7/2 on offer about the former Masters winner is acceptable in the hope he will have found whatever was missing to give him a third victory in this event.

I am interested to see how George Coetzee gets on as he bids to make up for lost time having missed a chunk of the season with a wrist injury following a cycling accident.

He closed with a 65 here 12 months ago to go with a T3 in 2011 while he feels that his game is gradually coming together after some reasonable efforts lately on the comeback trail.

He said: "I am not far way from where I need to be. The wrist feels fine and I am rested and ready to go," with a T12 in Turkey and a closing 68 at the World Cup of Golf seeming to back up his assertion.

But at no bigger than 22/1 generally, I would want a slightly stouter price on him getting into contention at not quite 100 per cent and remember he is still winless on the European Tour.

I had a close look back at past Leopard Creek results and what struck me was the number of young, relatively unheralded Scandinavian players who have given the title a really good shot.

I think that is a viable angle in once again considering Morten Orum Madsen'success last week and Thomas Bjorn's exploits in Melbourne should give a real boost to the contingent from northern Europe.

Kristoffer Broberg and Thorbjorn Olesen are the recent names to go close here and the player I really like to follow in their footsteps is Sweden's Johan Carlsson.

Carlsson has earned his playing rights for the season after an impressive fifth place finish on the Challenge Tour rankings that saw him win the prestigious Kazakhstan Open along the way.

And he just didn't win it either. He thrashed his field by seven shots having led by two going into the final round with the most impressive aspect being the cool and collected way he handled the pressure and went about completing the task at hand.

He has since followed that with three more top 10s, including on his 2014 European Tour debut at Glendower last week when rounds of 69-70-68-67 were good enough for T7.

This will obviously be his first crack at Leopard Creek but I see no reason why he shouldn't take to the place considering his form at the moment.

He finished second to Brooks Koepka in the Stroke Average category in his campaign on the Challenge Tour and at a rangy 6-4, he really looks the part for a big course so I expect him to show up well.

I am not a massive fan of backing players after a victory but Madsen is a pretty reasonable price at 45/1 in his bid to follow up.

Victor Dubuisson showed the other week it can be done after winning in Turkey and then giving Henrik Stenson a decent run for his money for much of the way in the Dubai World Championship.

The Frenchman looked bemused by the whole thing after his Turkish success but Madsen seemed far more in control and his patient, methodical approach over the closing holes while those around him were struggling was hugely commendable.

That gives me cause for optimism that he can get in the mix again despite a missed cut on his only start here last year and at almost twice the price of bridle horse Brendon De Jonge, I would rather have the Dane on my side.

Two more bets to go then and I am going to firstly put up Durban man Mike Hollick at 200/1.

Like a lot of South Africans, he enjoyed an excellent amateur career with one particular highlight coming in 2005 when he beat Branden Grace in the SA Boys U19.

He has made a pleasing start in the pro ranks and certainly caught my eye last week when he recovered from an opening 75 to shoot 67-68-69 for a T22 at the SA Open.

That came on the back of a 2-T6 on the Sunshine Tour and although the level of competition is a little greater here, I don't think he will be out of his depth.

He Tweeted earlier in the week how excited he was to be playing here and his delight at his closing 54 holes at Glendower - the term he used was 'stoked' and as I don't surf or snowboard, I can only presume that is a positive.

Finally, I am going to look to one of the side markets on the event and select super-consistent Jorge Campillo at 11/2 to be top Spaniard.

Market leader is the in-form Alejandro Canizares but I really did not anticipate quite such a difference in price between the pair with the latter odds-on in most places.

I am keen to oppose him as he has had a busy time of late and he might just start to pay the price while his course form of 70-50 hardly makes him a shoo-in at the odds offered.

Campillo missed the cut here 12 months ago but you have to go back to Wentworth in May for the last time he did not play the weekend and another steady if unspectacular showing should be adequate to get the job done against some Challenge Tour graduates, the out-of-form dual past champion Pablo Martin and an Ignacio Garrido who has been plagued by illness throughout 2013.

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Past champs to rekindle Open glory

Ben Coley previews the Australian Open and thinks there are grounds for opposing the big three.

The Royal Sydney Championship Course plays host to the Australian Open for the first time in five years and organisers couldn't have wished for a better platform for their flagship event.

It's one built by Adam Scott, who will bid to follow in Robert Allenby's footsteps and become just the second man ever to win the Triple Crown - or the 'Scotty Slam' as it's now been nicknamed.

The world number two has already won the Australian PGA and the Talisker Masters and while solo success in the World Cup at Royal Melbourne wasn't to be, history is still there to be made.

And it's not like his failure to win last week left Australian fans and officials with nothing to cheer, is it? Because such was Scott's determination not to let Jason Day down that the Australians won the team event and Day the individual title. As silver linings go, it was pretty much perfect.

Throw Rory McIlroy and the bandwagon that rolls along with him into this week's mix and you've a tournament to savour; a fitting way for both Scott and his adoring fans to round off the year. If there is a Sporting God (which there isn't, obviously), Scott will win once more.

But let us not allow emotion to cloud the picture. While Scott is undeniably the best player in this field as of this moment in time, there are reasons to take him on at 3/1. The vast success he's enjoyed of late perversely makes him easier to oppose, because while not beyond his powers it would take an extraordinary effort to produce 72 more holes of excellence under such intense focus.

There have been signs of fallibility of late that substantiate the view that he's worth taking on. Scott needed help from Matt Kuchar to win the Talisker Masters, having looked to have made a fatal mistake turning for home, while last week's World Cup bid was derailed on day one with a remarkable nine which saw Scott - ball-striker par excellence - have to reload not once but twice from the tee.

None of this is to say he can't or won't win at a course where he finished fifth on his sole visit in 2006, but as betting propositions go he's not an appealing one. Nor too is McIlroy, with recent signs encouraging but nothing more. This is a course which requires surpreme control and tests all aspects of a player's game and I'm not quite sure the young star is ready for the grind which awaits.

Day, therefore, is the one who makes sense at the head of the betting. Buoyed by last week's World Cup win, he's the type to thrive in the heat of battle here and will be doing his very best to upstage his friend and rival. He has no course experience to speak of, but it'll be tough and that's just how he likes it.

But I'm looking elsewhere. I believe there's just a small group of players who have realistic claims here, but the second tier of that group includes a couple who, while coming with risks, are clearly more than capable and represent better value than Day.

First up is Geoff Ogilvy, who found a return to form with his return to Australia when finishing 67-69 for seventh in the Talisker Masters.

That weekend display caught the eye for many reasons, one of which was that he bettered Scott and was just half a shot down on runner-up Kuchar in terms of scoring average.

But more pertinent is the fact that those rounds came after a switch in putter which saw Ogilvy - once one of the most deadly operators on the green - find some confidence once more. It's not lacking in his long game, with the former US Open champion claiming he's "hitting the ball well enough to contend anywhere".

If that's the case - and Ogilvy is as forthright as they come, so should be taken at his word - then he has to be considered a threat at a course he's played three times, finishing 10th, sixth, and second in 2006 when John Senden's birdie-birdie finish denied him the title.

Ogilvy has since gone on to win an Australian Open, not too far away from this week's venue, and this old-fashioned, tight, twisting par-72 is exactly the sort of puzzle he relishes. He is an outspoken champion of classic course design and Royal Sydney is one of Australia's finest examples.

While Senden and, to a lesser extent, Ogilvy's old adversary Allenby must be considered on a course which rewards the former's exceptional driving, it's the more erratic Aaron Baddeley who gets my second vote.

Baddeley has endured a disappointing year or so, failing to build on his win at Riviera on the PGA Tour back in 2011. However, recent signs have been somewhat encouraging with a fifth in the CIMB Classic due reward for the work he's been doing with coach Grant Waite.

"I really like where I am at with my game and working with Waite now I feel we have a really good plan," he said on Monday, and that's encouraging ahead of his return to a course which holds a special place in his heart.

Back in 1999, bright young Baddeley won the Australian Open at Royal Sydney while still an amateur, showing poise beyond his years to hold off the likes of Greg Norman, a hero to all Aussies of Baddeley's generation.

"It's pretty amazing that it was 14 years ago and it's just flown by," he said.

"Even just walking around the golf course today I still remember vividly so many of the shots I played in winning the 1999 Australian Open here at Royal Sydney.

"It's always very special going back to a place where you have won before but coming back here to Royal Sydney is extra special and it always will be."

To prove that was no fluke, Baddeley returned to the course in 2006 and finished ninth despite an opening 75, producing a weekend score bettered only by the eventual first and second.

Clearly, this is a venue that serves him well even if you'd have concerns about his ball-striking on paper. It's interesting to note that many of Baddeley's best PGA Tour efforts - including his wins at Riviera and Harbour Town - have come on old-fashioned, tough courses, so perhaps they produce a greater level of concentration from a player prone to losing focus from time to time.

Whatever the case, Baddeley, like Ogilvy, is good enough to serve it up to those at the head of the market and merits each-way support in an event which will, in all likelihood, see a proven performer upstage a mix of promising and journeyman locals.

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Feng wins Florida thriller

China's Shanshan Feng shot a final-round 66 to win a thrilling LPGA Titleholders Championship by one shot in Naples, Florida.

Feng went round in six under par on Sunday to finish on 15 under for the tournament, edging out American Gerina Piller.

The Chinese player picked up six birdies in a flawless round, getting off to a flying start with four in her first six holes and then finishing strongly with two more at the 15th and 17th.

Piller, one of three overnight leaders, carded a three-under 69 in the fourth round, with bogeys at the second and seventh giving her too much work to do on the back nine.

Birdies at the 13th, 15th and 17th gave her hope, but Feng's equally strong finish held her off.

Piller started the day level at the top of the leaderboard with Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum, who finished in third place on 13 under after a 70, and fellow American Natalie Gulbis.

Gulbis endured a nightmare final round, following two 70s and a 65 with a 10-over 82 which dropped her back to one under for the tournament and in a tie for 29th place.

She had six bogeys, two double bogeys and one birdie in a round to forget.

Germany's Sandra Gal was the highest-placed European, finishing fourth on 12 under after a 69.

Scotland's Catriona Matthew was joint 21st on four under after ending a disappointing tournament in style, going round in 66 on Sunday.

Collated final-round scores:

(USA unless stated, par 72):

273	Shanshan Feng (Chn)	66 74 67 66
274	Gerina Piller	71 67 67 69
275	Pornanong Phatlum (Tha)	70 68 67 70
276	Sandra Gal (Ger)	64 69 74 69
277	Inbee Park (Kor)	68 72 69 68
278	Sun Young Yoo (Kor)	68 68 73 69
	Cristie Kerr	69 69 71 69
	Stacy Lewis	71 73 63 71
279	So yeon Ryu (Kor)	70 71 69 69
	Jennifer Johnson	71 69 70 69
280	Michelle Wie	72 70 66 72
	ll-Hee Lee (Kor)	69 77 69 65
	Amy Yang (Kor)	73 68 69 70
282	Azahara Munoz (Spa)	72 68 69 73
	Angela Stanford	74 69 69 70
283	Meena Lee (Kor)	69 72 70 72
	Morgan Pressel	71 68 74 70
	Lexi Thompson	66 74 67 76
	Brittany Lang	68 76 70 69
	Hee Young Park (Kor)	69 70 72 72
284	Sandra Changkija	67 74 70 73
	Catriona Matthew (Sco)	70 73 75 66
	Anna Nordqvist (Swe)	66 73 75 70
	Lydia Ko (Nzl)	71 71 72 70
285	Jane Park	68 77 69 71
	Chella Choi (Kor)	71 70 71 73
	Karrie Webb (Aus)	70 73 69 73
	Ayako Uehara (Jpn)	69 72 71 73
287	Mika Miyazato (Jpn)	70 73 68 76
	Natalie Gulbis	70 70 65 82
	Mo Martin	69 72 74 72
	Suzann Pettersen (Nor)	72 72 71 72
288	Na Yeon Choi (Kor)	71 74 70 73
	Jenny Shin	73 72 71 72
	In Kyung Kim (Kor)	72 74 70 72
	Moriya Jutanugarn (Tha)	70 72 74 72
	Karine Icher (Fra)	69 74 75 70
289	Caroline Hedwall (Swe)	74 74 72 69
290	Beatriz Recari (Spa)	72 77 73 68
	Cindy Lacrosse	69 76 69 76
	Candie Kung (Tai)	71 74 75 70
	Lizette Salas	71 72 75 72
291	Rebecca Lee-bentham (Can)	65 76 75 75
	Pernilla Lindberg (Swe)	72 75 71 73
	Jodi Ewart (Eng)	72 73 76 70
	Alison Walshe	74 73 73 71
292	Katherine Hull-Kirk (Aus)	73 78 70 71
	Jessica Korda	74 72 69 77
293	Irene Cho	73 74 74 72
	Carlota Ciganda (Spa)	72 75 72 74
294	Hee Kyung Seo (Kor)	74 73 76 71
	Brittany Lincicome	68 79 73 74
295	Chie Arimura (Jpn)	73 77 71 74
	Stacy Prammanasudh	71 74 75 75
	Mi Jung Hur (Kor)	73 74 75 73
296	Juli Inkster	69 74 77 76
	Hee-Won Han (Kor)	75 73 71 77
297	Paula Creamer	74 76 74 73
298	Dewi Claire Schreefel	68 81 71 78
299	Austin Ernst	73 82 74 70
300	Caroline Masson (Ger)	77 76 73 74
	Hanna Kang (Kor)	74 78 72 76
302	Eun Hee Ji (Kor)	75 75 74 78
304	Brooke Pancake	72 81 77 74
	Jeong Jang (Kor)	77 73 75 79
305	Paola Moreno	74 78 77 76
306	Mindy Kim (Kor)	76 81 73 76
	Jacqui Concolino	81 73 77 75
WD:	Ai Miyazato (Jpn)

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South African Open

Matthew Nixon eagled his penultimate hole to open up a one-shot lead after day one of the South African Open at Glendower Golf Club in Ekurhuleni.

Marco Crespi, who has only had his European Tour card six days, looked as if he would get his time on the big stage off to the perfect start and top the leaderboard after the opening round until Nixon's late heroics displaced him and South African Jbe Kruger at the the summit.

Nixon started on the back nine and opened his round with three birdies en route to reaching the turn in 31 but dropped a shot on his 11th hole.

Two further birdies put him within one shot of the lead and his eagle on the 477-yard par-five eighth saw him leapfrog Crespi and Kruger and claim the overnight advantage.

Crespi finished third at the Qualifying School at PGA Golf Catalunya last week to secure his place on Tour for the 2014 season and on Thursday fired an opening 65.

Also starting on the back nine, Crespi fired four consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 15th to turn in 32 and picked up a further three shots on the back nine to sit seven under.

Kruger, meanwhile, also eagled the eighth and then birdied five of his last seven holes but there were a host of fellow home favourites in the chasing pack.

Two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen was leading the group on six under after seven birdies, including one on the last, and a single bogey saw him fire a 66 alongside Christiaan Basson

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel was expected to be in contention as he attempts to win his home tournament for the first time but younger brother Atti was a surprise name on the leaderboard.

The 25-year-old is a regular on the Sunshine Tour and is looking to make an impact on the bigger stage after firing a 67 to sit at five under alongside his brother who has high hopes for a good week.

"It means a lot, I'd love to win the South African Open," Schwartzel told www.europeantour.com.

"I did my preparation and figured out the way I want to play the golf course and it worked today.

"I've always had really good results in the South African Open, come close a few times.

"I reckon it's one of those where you have to keep at it and keep playing and it will come eventually."

Denmark's Morten Orum Madsen and Italian Andrea Pavan were also on five under, one shot clear of Simon Dyson.

The Englishman was playing his first tournament since disqualification from the BMW Masters after signing for an incorrect score and shot a four-under 68.

Dyson put aside concerns over an impending disciplinary hearing after being charged with a serious rules breach, for which the most severe punishment could be a ban, despite insisting his actions were an accidental mistake after television viewers spotted him touching the line of a putt.

However, his round was erratic with his opening nine holes including five birdies and two bogeys and, although he started the back nine with another dropped shot, he recovered with two more birdies to sit in a group with seven other players.

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Donald retains Phoenix crown

Luke Donald secured his first win of the year by defending his title at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan.

The 35-year-old Englishman started the final round with a two-shot lead over South Korea's Kim Hyung-Sung after following his two-over-par 73 in the first round with scores of 66 and 65.

And there were few scares at the Phoenix Country Club course on Sunday as a five-under 66, which featured seven birdies and two bogeys, took him to 14-under 270, six shots clear of Kim who could only manage a one-under 70.

Japan's Shingo Katayama finished third on seven under, while Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Shunsuke Sonoda of Japan shared fourth place three shots further back.

Japan Tour money leader Hideki Matsuyama, 21, was bunched one stroke further back with Australian Brad Kennedy and South Korea's Lee Kyoung-Hoon.

"I'm very excited. My last win as a professional was last year at the Dunlop," Donald said.

"It's great to come here and win again. This is a great tournament with some great winners and I'm very proud to have won it back-to-back now."

Donald is the first player to win the Dunlop, one of Japan's richest tournaments, for two straight years since Tiger Woods triumphed in 2004 and 2005.

Collated final-round scores:

(Jpn unless stated, par 71):

270	Luke Donald (Eng)	73 66 65 66
276	Hyung-sung Kim (Kor)	69 70 67 70
277	Shingo Katayama	69 74 69 65
280	Shunsuke Sonoda	70 73 68 69
	Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa)	73 69 71 67
281	Hideki Matsuyama	71 71 69 70
	Kyoung-hoon Lee	73 70 72 66
	Brad Kennedy (Aus)	71 72 67 71
282	Han Lee (USA)	75 67 68 72
283	Yoshinobu Tsukada	68 71 75 69
	Yoshinori Fujimoto	74 70 73 66
	Hiroshi Iwata	73 69 68 73
	Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor)	72 71 70 70
284	Koumei Oda	69 74 68 73
	Kazuhiko Hosokawa	73 69 71 71
	Yosuke Tsukada	71 74 74 65
	Toshinori Muto	74 72 69 69
	Billy Horschel (USA)	71 76 71 66
285	Kunihiro Kamii	74 68 70 73
	Sung-joon Park	71 68 71 75
	Yusaku Miyazato	70 72 73 70
286	Keiichiro Fukabori	71 74 69 72
	Tomohiro Kondo	72 72 70 72
	Ho-sung Choi (Kor)	71 72 71 72
	Kazuhiro Yamashita	67 74 73 72
	Kurt Barnes (Aus)	74 70 72 70
287	Kiyoshi Miyazato	72 70 77 68
	Ryuichi Oda	72 68 74 73
	Akio Sadakata	71 72 72 72
	Yuta Ikeda	76 72 70 69
288	Hiroo Kawai	73 71 74 70
	Kaname Yokoo	71 70 73 74
	J.B. Holmes (USA)	79 70 73 66
	Azuma Yano	75 71 73 69
	Kenichi Kuboya	71 73 70 74
289	Shigeru Nonaka	75 72 74 68
	Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)	71 71 75 72
	Ryutaro Nagano	71 70 74 74
	Masanori Kobayashi	74 75 70 70
	Charlie Beljan (USA)	75 72 72 70
290	Keegan Bradley (USA)	73 72 69 76
	Koichiro Kawano	75 72 69 74
	Yui Ueda	74 73 74 69
291	David Smail (Nzl)	73 73 73 72
292	Katsumasa Miyamoto	73 69 74 76
	Juvic Pagunsan (Phi)	71 76 70 75
	Tadahiro Takayama	73 71 74 74
	Tetsuji Hiratsuka	73 71 72 76
	Steven Conran (Aus)	71 76 74 71
293	Jung-Gon Hwang (Kor)	72 76 74 71
	Min-gyu Cho (Kor)	72 72 76 73
	Taichi Teshima	73 75 71 74
294	Tommy Nakajima	70 73 80 71
	Dong-kyu Jang (Kor)	72 77 72 73
295	Masahiro Kawamura	75 74 71 75
	Satoshi Kodaira	74 73 73 75
296	Hidemasa Hoshino	78 71 69 78
297	Sushi Ishigaki	78 71 73 75
	J B Park (Kor)	72 72 79 74
	Yoshikazu Haku	74 72 75 76
298	Takashi Kanemoto	73 76 73 76
	Jay Choi (Kor)	72 75 75 76
	Yuji Igarashi	75 74 72 77
	Sung-yoon Kim (Kor)	73 74 71 80
299	Norio Shinozaki	70 79 77 73
300	Hirohito Koizumi	72 77 71 80
302	Eun shin Park (Kor)	78 70 78 76

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Gulbis surges into share of lead

Natalie Gulbis struck a seven-under-par 65 to move into a three-way tie for the lead after the third round of the LPGA Titleholders Championship in Naples, Florida.

The 30-year-old American opened her round with a bogey but was faultless thereafter, compiling eight birdies to move onto 11 under par overall, alongside compatriot Gerina Piller and Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum, both of whom shot 67.

For the second day in a row, Piller made five birdies in an unblemished round. The 28-year-old has not made a bogey in 41 holes.

Phatlum was also flawless on Saturday and came to life after approaching the turn on one under her round. But birdies at the 10th, 12, 13 and 17th ensured she would be in a share of the lead overnight.

The round of the day came from Stacy Lewis, who is one of four players in a tie for fourth two shots behind the leaders.

Lewis came into Saturday on level par after her first two rounds, but an eagle at the third was the catalyst for a superb nine-under-par 63, which included six birdies in seven holes from the 11th hole.

She now sits alongside fellow American Lexi Thompson, Germany's Sandra Gal and Shanshan Feng of China.

Collated third-round scores:

(USA unless stated, par 72):

205	Gerina Piller	71 67 67
	Pornanong Phatlum (Tha)	70 68 67
	Natalie Gulbis	70 70 65
207	Lexi Thompson	66 74 67
	Sandra Gal (Ger)	64 69 74
	Stacy Lewis	71 73 63
	Shanshan Feng (Chn)	66 74 67
208	Michelle Wie	72 70 66
209	Sun Young Yoo (Kor)	68 68 73
	Azahara Munoz (Spa)	72 68 69
	Cristie Kerr	69 69 71
	Inbee Park (Kor)	68 72 69
210	So yeon Ryu (Kor)	70 71 69
	Amy Yang (Kor)	73 68 69
	Jennifer Johnson	71 69 70
211	Sandra Changkija	67 74 70
	Mika Miyazato (Jpn)	70 73 68
	Meena Lee (Kor)	69 72 70
	Hee Young Park (Kor)	69 70 72
212	Chella Choi (Kor)	71 70 71
	Karrie Webb (Aus)	70 73 69
	Angela Stanford	74 69 69
	Ayako Uehara (Jpn)	69 72 71
213	Morgan Pressel	71 68 74
214	Jane Park	68 77 69
	Cindy Lacrosse	69 76 69
	Anna Nordqvist (Swe)	66 73 75
	Lydia Ko (Nzl)	71 71 72
	Brittany Lang	68 76 70
215	Na Yeon Choi (Kor)	71 74 70
	Il-Hee Lee (Kor)	69 77 69
	Jessica Korda	74 72 69
	Mo Martin	69 72 74
	Suzann Pettersen (Nor)	72 72 71
216	Rebecca Lee-bentham (Can)	65 76 75
	Jenny Shin	73 72 71
	In Kyung Kim (Kor)	72 74 70
	Moriya Jutanugarn (Tha)	70 72 74
218	Catriona Matthew (Sco)	70 73 75
	Pernilla Lindberg (Swe)	72 75 71
	Lizette Salas	71 72 75
	Karine Icher (Fra)	69 74 75
219	Hee-Won Han (Kor)	75 73 71
	Carlota Ciganda (Spa)	72 75 72
220	Stacy Prammanasudh	71 74 75
	Caroline Hedwall (Swe)	74 74 72
	Juli Inkster	69 74 77
	Dewi Claire Schreefel	68 81 71
	Brittany Lincicome	68 79 73
	Alison Walshe	74 73 73
	Candie Kung (Tai)	71 74 75
221	Chie Arimura (Jpn)	73 77 71
	Ai Miyazato (Jpn)	69 78 74
	Irene Cho	73 74 74
	Katherine Hull-Kirk (Aus)	73 78 70
	Jodi Ewart (Eng)	72 73 76
222	Beatriz Recari (Spa)	72 77 73
	Mi Jung Hur (Kor)	73 74 75
223	Hee Kyung Seo (Kor)	74 73 76
224	Paula Creamer	74 76 74
	Eun Hee Ji (Kor)	75 75 74
	Hanna Kang (Kor)	74 78 72
225	Jeong Jang (Kor)	77 73 75
226	Caroline Masson (Ger)	77 76 73
229	Austin Ernst	73 82 74
	Paola Moreno	74 78 77
230	Mindy Kim (Kor)	76 81 73
	Brooke Pancake	72 81 77
231	Jacqui Concolino	81 73 77

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Charl one ahead on home soil

South African Charl Schwartzel is on course to win his own national open after carding a third round 69 to claim a one-stroke lead in Johannesburg.

The 29-year-old, who was tied for the lead overnight, offset five birdies with a brace of bogeys to secure a slender advantage over two European pros.

Schwartzel, the world No 22, is one of only two players inside the top 100 teeing-up at Glendower this week, and on Sunday will partner Dane Morten Orum Madsen in the concluding round.

Madsen, ranked 244, is tied for second following a 69 while Italian Marco Crespi is also a single stroke adrift after a 70.

Schwartzel remarked: "It was a bit up and down but I think I did what I needed to do.

"You always think some things could have been done better."

Also well placed is 2011 champion Hennie Otto who conjured up the round of the day.

The burly South African has fired consecutive rounds of 66 and 65 and, on Saturday afternoon, endured mixed bag.

An eagle three at the second was more than wiped out by a triple-bogey seven at the ninth.

But Otto's calamitous finish to the front nine did not deter the 37-year-old from Boksburg who came home in 29 shots thanks to seven birdies in his final eight holes.

The brilliant back nine burst left the former winner just two behind Schwartzel who is seeking to become the 15th home player to lift the trophy in the last 20 stagings of the South African Open.

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Denmark's Morten Orum Madsen secures maiden European tour win at South African Open

Denmark's Morten Orum Madsen was victorious at the South African Open as Charl Schwartzel squandered the lead to finish tied fourth in Ekurhuleni.

Madsen, claiming his maiden European Tour title, posted five birdies in his final-round 67 to finish on 19 under par, two shots ahead of South Africans Jbe Kruger (65) and Hennie Otto (68).

Their compatriot Schwartzel, the former Masters champion and tournament favourite, was at the top of the leaderboard by a shot at the start of the day and had a three-shot lead at one point, but ended fourth on 16 under after a 71, alongside Italy's Marco Crespi (70).

Ireland's Simon Thornton finished in a tie for 59th place on one over after a closing round 72.

Madsen told www.europeantour.com: "It's been an amazing day. I don't really know right now (how I feel). It's kind of cliched to say it hasn't really sunk in, but it really hasn't.

"I'm just over the moon. I'm so happy. I mean coming down here, I expected to play well but I didn't expect to stand here...right now, that's for sure."

On Schwartzel, Madsen added: "I definitely felt like I could still win, but he looked like he was going to go off and I was just trying to hang on and maybe stay in two or three shots and give myself a chance.

"I had a great back nine but unfortunately for him he struggled. On a couple of holes he had some bad breaks. Luckily for me I was there to capitalise and I did with some nice birdies down the stretch."

Schwartzel birdied the second, third and fourth to go three clear on 18 under before dropping three shots on the sixth.

He double-bogeyed the 10th to drop further back, but then made three birdies, although it was not enough to challenge for victory.

Otto experienced a major slump, having led by four shots with four holes to play after three straight birdies.

He bogeyed the 15th and double bogeyed the 16th to slip out of contention.

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Rory McIlroy & Oakley resolve difference

Rory McIlroy has resolved his legal issues with former sponsor Oakley after both sides amicably settled their differences.

Oakley had taken legal proceedings against McIlroy for allegedly breaking a contract with the sunglasses and clothing company

A joint statement confirmed that the issue had been resolved.

McIlroy said: "I always had an excellent working relationship with Oakley's representatives and I am delighted the case is now behind me."

Pat McIlvain, VP of Oakley Sports Marketing, said on behalf of the company: "We are very pleased the proceedings against Rory have been resolved. We enjoyed an excellent relationship with Rory as an Oakley brand ambassador. He conducted all his engagements on our behalf with energy and professionalism. We recognize that, in his business dealings with us that were the subject matter of this dispute, Rory was represented by his agent."

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Jason Day guides Australia to World Cup

Australia's Jason Day held off the challenge of Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and countryman Adam Scott to win the individual prize at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne as the antipodean duo also claimed the team prize.

Day had held a one-shot lead overnight and a fourth-round 70 meant he finished on 10 under, two shots clear of Bjorn who finished with a 71.

Scott closed with a five under par 66 to finish a further shot back and hand Australia an aggregate team score of 17 under, 10 shots clear of nearest challengers the United States.

Ireland’s duo of Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry finished in 11th spot, with McDowell finishing one over for the tournament and Lowry on eight-over-par.

The home win was a first victory for Day since the HP Byron Nelson Championship in 2010 and the 26-year-old feels it is just reward after finishing second three times at majors since then.

"It was a complete honour to win here at Royal Melbourne," he said.

"To win in front of the Melbourne fans who are so passionate about their sport was an amazing feeling.

"It feels great. I just really don't know what to think right now.

"All the hard work and dedication that I have put into my game over the last five or 10 years is paying off.

"It's taken me a while to get my second win as a pro, and it couldn't be more fitting with Scotty by my side winning the World Cup here in Melbourne."

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