Dreyer shines as SA play fo pride
It was Ryan Dreyer who stepped up to the plate for South Africa in the third round of the 72 hole stroke play Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup. Playing in windy conditions the thirty eight year old Killarney Country Club amateur golfer recorded a two under par 69.
Along with his team mate, Daniel Hammond (74), South Africa recorded the second best team score of the day, 143, one over par, and moved up three places to ninth on the International Team Tournament leader board with a fifty four hole aggregate of 444, eighteen over par.
Despite experiencing the most difficult weather conditions so far in the tournament, being played at the Los Lagartos Country Club outside Buenos Aires, Argentina, Finland produced a fine team score of 136, six under par. This was thanks to a 67 from Miro Veijalainen and a 69 from Tapio Pulkkanen. They lead by three shots, on a one under par 425, from Norway, who led after yesterday’s second round.
South Africa are the defending champions, however at nineteen shots off the pace, Dreyer and Hammond will be playing for pride in Sunday’s final round.
“I really could have gone low today,” said an up-beat Dreyer in a telephonic interview after his round. “I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities, missed some putts and was very disappointed to finish with a double bogey.”
Dreyer went out in two under par 34, made up of three birdies and a bogey, and came home in regulation 35. His birdies on ten and fifteen coming to nought after a disappointing final hole.
Dreyer, whose fifty four hole aggregate is now 219, six over par, moves up the individual leader board to tied twentieth.
Daniel Hammond, from Wanderers Golf Club, also moved up the individual leader board.
He turned in one under par, thanks to two birdies and a bogey, but let things go a bit by playing the back nine in four over 39. The tall Central Gauteng player now lies tied in thirty four place on 225, twelve over par.
Leading the individual competition is still Martin Kim of Argentina. He managed to record a regulation round of 71 to finish still seven under par, on 206, and with a three shot cushion on the rest of the field.
But the story of the day remained the outstanding team performance of the Finnish team which saw them move up four places, as at the end of the second round, to the top of the International Team Tournament leader board.
The final round of the Tailhade Cup is played on Sunday.
Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup
Los Lagartos Country Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina
(Par: 71; 54 holes: 213)
Third Round Leading Scores in Individual Competition
206 – Martin Kim (ARG) (71,64,71)
209 – Espen Kofstad (NOR) (70,70,69)
211 – Miro Veijalainen (FIN) (72,72,67)
213 – Andrew Sullivan (ENG) (67,76,70), Goncalo Pinto (POR) (74,68,71), Ryan McCarthy (72,68,73)
214 – Tapio Pulkkanen (FIN) (70,75,69), Franco Romero (ARG) (77,67,70), Scott Salmon (ESP) (69,69,76)
215 – Juan Alvarez (URU) (74,71,70)
South African Players Scores:
219 – Ryan Dreyer (75,75,69)
225 – Daniel Hammond (79,72,74)
Third Round Results in International Team Tournament
(Par: 142: 54 holes: 426)
425 – Finland (142,147,136)
428 – Norway (143,142,143)
433 – Argentina (149,141,143)
434 – Spain (144,144,146)
435 – England (140,152,143)
439 – Australia (150,140,149)
443 – Portugal (152,146,145), Uruguay (145,143,155)
444 – South Africa (154,147,143)
447 – Colombia (146,153,148)
451 – New Zealand (149,151,151)
452 – Mexico (143,159,150)
458 – Canada (151,153,154)
(Netherlands are eliminated from this competition as Robin Kind failed to conclude his third round.)