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Joburg Open set for Monday showdown

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Van Rooyen's pursuit was halted by the rain

The Joburg Open will finish on a Monday for the first time in its history after a heavy thunderstorm forced the suspension of Sunday’s final round at Randpark Golf Club.

Play was suspended at 13:00 on Sunday. India’s Shubhankar Sharma is leading by four strokes with 11 holes to play on the Firethorn Course. South African Erik van Rooyen is his nearest challenger on 18 under par and with 10 holes of his final round remaining.

Sharma started the final round with a five-stroke lead and birdied the second hole to climb six strokes clear of the field.

But Van Rooyen made four birdies in five holes from the third to keep some sort of pressure on the leader.

With the next players on 14 under, it appears to be a straight shootout between the two for this year’s title.

‘I’m going to treat it like another day,’ said Sharma, who has been remarkably composed considering that he is leading a major tournament going in the final round for the first time at the age of 21.

‘I’m going to do the same things which I’ve been doing in the last four days.  It is frustrating because you get into a groove when you start and you don’t want to come off. I saw the clouds coming on the seventh hole and I was praying we could finish. But we can’t help it. I’m playing well so I want to continue doing that.’

As frustrating as the delay was, which started with lightning and rain and then even included hail at one point, Sharma is enjoying every minute after initially struggling with his Visa application and spent the rain delay in the most relaxing way that he could.

 

‘I tried to calm myself so I went to talk to people, and my father on the phone. I had to cancel my flight tickets but that was an easy thing to do considering the position I’m in.’

Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images