I'm not giving up, says Schwartzel

Charl Schwartzel has the small matter of 170 metres to play before he completes his third round in the Joburg Open, but, whether he gets birdie, par or bogey on the 18th hole, he is not overly concerned, having already achieved what he set out to do on Saturday.

Schwartzel moved threateningly up the leaderboard into a tie for 10th position, four strokes behind leader Ariel Canete, with a two-under-par score through 17 holes before play was stopped just after 2pm by lightning.

With a succession of thunderstorms rolling over Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club all afternoon, play for the day was eventually called off at 5.45 pm, with the golfers returning at 6.45 am on Sunday to complete their rounds.

Schwartzel pushed his drive on the par-five 18th hole into the rough and had to chip out sideways, leaving him with a lengthy third shot to the green.

"I might be able to squeeze out a birdie, but I'm very happy with where I am at the moment," Schwartzel said. "If I can make a five or six-under-par score tomorrow I will be very close to winning, even if I finish the third round on eight-under."

Schwartzel, the highest-ranked player in the field, flirted with missing the cut, made at three-under-par, as he went through the first nine holes of his second round in two-over 38, leaving him on one-under-par overall, but a dramatic back nine of 30 saw him roar back into contention for the title.

"I was starting to see what else I could do over the weekend!" he joked. "But I was also quite cross and there is a bit of fight in me and I knew that if I picked up two or three shots I would make the cut. To be five-under through the back nine on the East course was really quite nice."
Saturday's round had "too many bogeys" (four) in it for Schwartzel's liking, but he is hopeful the fact everyone is now playing on the East course will be in his favour.

"I don't think the leaders are going to go too far ahead, but I still need to make a 66 or 65 tomorrow."

That is entirely plausible for a golfer who many feel is just waiting to join the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelmann and Tim Clark as a South African that is amongst the world's leading golfers.