Els takes control

World number eight Ernie Els was heading for his first victory of the year as he took control of the final round of the SAA Open at Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth.

The much-anticipated duel between Els, and overnight leader Trevor Immelman failed to materialise after the latter struggled in the late morning wind as Els was simply straight and on song.

Immelman started three shots up after a course-record 63 in the third round, but when the wind picked up it seemed he did not quite have the same midas touch.

Els on Saturday said he was looking to overhaul Tiger Woods in the next three years and quickly was off the mark on the first really windy morning of the tournament.

The 37-year-old had picked up birdies on two and five to close the gap to one stroke before a fatal error by Immelman on the sixth allowed the former world number one to take the lead, and subsequently control of the tournament.

Els put his tee shot within four feet of the pin on the par three as he upped the ante.

Immelman, by contrast, caught a gust of wind that sent his ball right onto the lip of the green and rolled off into the bunker.

Immelman’s chip onto the green rolled some eight feet past the hole, and he two-putted to take the bogey.

Els, as calm as the weather on the first three days, birdied to move into the lead with a two-shot swing on the hole.

From there on it was simply all Els as the tournament built up to its climax.

He carried on relatively quietly for the next five holes, but was stung back into action by a birdie on 11 from Immelman, which cut the lead to one. Els then birdied 12 and 13 to take him three out once again.

Sweden’s Patrik Sjoland picked up two shots, moving to 17 under, while defending champion Retief Goosen briefly looked threatening with three birdies and a bogey on the front nine, but dropped another shot on 13 to stay back on 14 under.

Englishman Gary Lockerbie had a faultless round of eight birdies to move him alongside Goosen in fourth place in a group that also includes South Africans Darren Fichardt, Louis Oosthuizen and another Englishman, and first-round leader, Andrew Raitt.

Englishmen Sam Walker and Richard Finch both posted rounds of 66 to be the pick of those out early, with their countryman Justin Walters just behind them on five under for the day and 10 under for the tournament.