Max Homa is currently leading by one shot, with Matthieu Pavon close behind. Nicolai Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen are two shots behind, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood trails by six shots.
Max Homa is leading the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, putting him one step closer to winning his first DP World Tour title.
The golfer who was tied for the lead overnight shot a three-under 69 at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City. This moved them to 13-under par and one shot ahead of their playing partner Matthieu Pavon. Danish golfers Nicolai Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen are two shots behind in tied-third place.
A bogey on the last hole caused Dan Bradbury to fall three spots and finish in fifth place, ahead of Ryo Hisatune. Tommy Fleetwood is currently in a tie for eighth place, six strokes behind the leader, as he aims for a third straight win at the event.
“I wasn’t swinging it so well to start, I was a bit scrappy,” Homa admitted. “I hit the ball really well coming down the last nine or 10 holes, that was nice. I didn’t hole anything putting wise but I made a nice bunker shot for eagle.
“I did a really good job of staying patient on the back nine. I hit it really well and had a lot of looks. It [winning] would be tremendous. Every day we walk up nine and they have the plaques of everyone who’s won and the names are stout so it would be amazing to add my name to the tradition here.”
Pavon took the lead early on by making a birdie on the second hole and then picking up another shot on the fourth hole. Homa, who was tied for the lead, had a bogey on the fourth hole.
The French golfer increased his lead with a 25-foot putt on the seventh hole. However, he couldn’t save par on the next hole, reducing his lead to two strokes at the halfway point. Homa impressed by holing out from a bunker for an eagle on the 10th hole, closing the gap.
Pavon birdied the hole and matched Homa in picking up a shot at another hole. But he fell one behind Homa when he bogeyed and dropped a shot in the following hole.
Homa finished his closing holes without any bogeys, maintaining a score of 13 under. Pavon ended with two consecutive pars, shooting a two-under 70. Bradbury fell behind by three strokes, completing a one-under 71 with a bogey.
“We know it’s moving day and lots of people move up the leaderboard so it was nice to start well,” Pavon said. “Overall it was a hell of a grind out there. It was really hot, pins are tricky, it’s all about managing some of the shots you have. All in all I’m pretty happy to score under par.”
Hojgaard and Olesen are two strokes behind with matching 69s. Justin Thomas shot a level-par 72, putting him in a group tied for 10th place at six under. The group also includes Adrian Meronk, Ewen Ferguson from Scotland, and Jordan Smith from England.
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