Sunday, February 10, 2013

Fisher fighting nerves at Joburg Open

South African golfer Trevor Fisher Jnr. was tied for the lead after three rounds of the Joburg Open.

(CNN) -- He overcame his nerves on Saturday, but Trevor Fisher Jnr. will have to do it all again if he wants to win his first European Tour title.

The 33-year-old will have a shootout with fellow South African Richard Sterne at their home Joburg Open on Sunday after moving out to a five-shot lead over the rest of the field.

Both shot four-under-par 68 to be 19 under the card after three rounds, with 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel in a group of four players tied for third.

"A bit of nerves set in there," said Fisher, who has won seven times on southern Africa's Sunshine Tour. "You try not to think about the lead, but it's there in front of you."

Fisher finished third at the same tournament in January last year, his best result in a top-level event.

"I was a bit jumpy with the swing and wasn't waiting at the top, so I hit a few bad shots there," he told the European Tour website on Saturday.

"But I came back nicely with a few birdies. It's just a feeling, and you've got to try and feel comfortable out there as much as possible."

Sterne is looking for his first victory since December 2008, when he won two successive titles on home soil and three that year including the Joburg Open.

The 31-year-old finished second at last week's Dubai Desert Classic, having led at the halfway stage.

"It's quite draining for two weeks in a row, but I'd rather be here than in the middle of the pack. The heart is pumping quite fast out there," said the five-time European Tour winner.

Schwartzel, the Joburg champion in 2010 and 2011, is looking for his third successive title after December victories at the Asian Tour's Thailand Open and the co-sanctioned Alfred Dunhill Championship held in Malalane near Kruger National Park.

He was tied with fellow South Africans Jaco van Zyl (67) and George Coetzee (70) plus Chile's Felipe Aguilar, who also carded 68.

Pebble Beach leaderboard

Meanwhile, Brandt Snedeker is looking to shake off his tag of the PGA Tour's "2013 nearly man" after retaining a share of the lead after three rounds at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Snedeker, runner-up to Tiger Woods in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and to Phil Mickelson at the Phoenix Open in the last two weeks, matched Friday's 68 to move three clear before James Hahn caught him with a 66.

It was the ninth successive round in the 60s for last year's FedEx Cup winner Snedeker, seeking his first victory since September's Tour Championship win, which earned him a $10 million jackpot.

Chris Kirk was third, another shot back on 11-under 203 after carding 64 on Saturday, while joint halfway leader Patrick Reed dropped to fourth following a 67.

Defending champion Mickelson was tied for 56th after a 73


Via: Fisher fighting nerves at Joburg Open

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