Tom McKibbin shot a second successive over-par round for the first time since September to find himself 13 shots off the pace in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The Newtownabbey star, who brilliantly clinched his PGA Tour card in Dubai two weeks ago, added a 75 to his opening 77 at Gary Player CC to lie 59th in the 66-man field on eight-over in Sun City.
France’s Julien Guerrier fired a remarkable 68 in challenging conditions on day two, carding eight birdies and four bogeys in a roller-coaster second round as strong winds caused havoc.
“First of all, it’s a privilege to score under par in tough conditions like that,” said Guerrier. “I am very pleased I made a lot of birdies.”
He leads by a shot on five-under from compatriot Roman Languesque, who shot 70, and South Africa’s Ockie Strydom, who signed for a 73.
In Saudi Arabia, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann birdied the 18th to take one-stroke over Americans Peter Uihlein and Caleb Surratt into the final round of the $ 5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
The LIV Golf star fired a six-under 65 to lead on 17-under as he looks to make up for some disappointing final rounds in recent weeks. A two-time individual winner on the LIV Golf League this year, he’s seeking his first 72-hole title since last year’s Australian Open.
Graeme McDowell’s most recent 72-hole win came in the Saudi International in February 2020, but his wait looks likely to go on after he had 33 putts in a one-over 72 that left him joint last on two-under at Riyadh Golf Club.
It was also a disappointing day for the Irish in the final round of the Asian Tour Qualifying School (Section D) qualifier at Pattana Sports Resort in Thailand.
Only the top 18 and ties progressed to the Final Stage at Lake View Resort and Golf Club from December 17-20, where the top 35 will earn their cards after five rounds. But there was no joy for Whitehead’s John Ross Galbraith or Kinsale’s John Murphy this week.
Galbraith closed with a three-over 73 to miss out by four strokes on four-over par, while Murphy retired on seven-over after 54 holes following rounds of 69, 76 and 72.
Irish interest in the Asian Tour Q-School continues next week when Kevin Phelan, Declan Kenny and Paul Dunne play at Grand Prix Golf Club and Niall Kearney and Michael Young tee it up at Springfield Royal Country Club.
Nedbank Golf Challenge, 9am Hero World Challenge, 5pm(Both live on Sky Sports)