BMW SA Open 2017: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Graeme Storm followed Friday’s impressive round of 63 with an excellent 67 on Saturday to hold on to his lead at the top of the BMW SA Open leaderboard.

Storm carded five birdies without a single blemish to move to 17 under par for the tournament and three shots clear going into the final day.

He has some rather talented company to contend with, though, as Rory McIlroy is lurking with intent after another solid round on Saturday.

The Northern Irishman matched Storm with a 67 of his own to move to 14 under for the tournament and into second place.

Here’s a look at the top 10 after another eventful day at Glendower Golf Club, Gauteng, South Africa:

Pos.	Golfer	To Par	Round 3
1	Graeme Storm	-17	67
2	Rory McIlroy	-14	67
3	Jordan Smith	-13	68
3	Jbe Kruger	-13	69
5	Jaco Van Zyl	-12	68
5	Dean Burmester	-12	67
5	Edoardo Molinari	-12	63
5	Joel Stalter	-12	65
5	Romain Langasque	-12	68
5	Peter Uihlein	-12	70

Storm came into Saturday’s round with a two-shot lead over American Peter Uihlein courtesy of a stunning nine-under-par round of 63 on Friday, and he showed no signs of letting up right from the start.

On the reachable par-five second, Storm carded a routine birdie and followed it up with birdies on the seventh and eighth to turn in three-under.

Another pair of birdies would follow on the back nine’s par fives to move Storm to 17 under and give him clear daylight from the chasing pack.

The Englishman has been in exemplary form all week and has played near-flawless golf since the opening day. European Tour revealed he’s gone 41 holes without making a single bogey:

If he keeps up such form on Sunday, Storm will be in line to win just his second European Tour event. However, he’ll be looking over his shoulder at a very talented chasing pack, headed up by McIlroy.

McIlroy signed for a 67 on Saturday despite making some sloppy errors on a day that could have been something really special.

An eagle on the seventh in between birdies on the second and eighth put the Northern Irishman in a tie for the lead, as even his bad shots were finding the target, via European Tour:

On the ninth and 18th, however, McIlroy gave shots back to the course to slip three shots adrift of Storm.

Behind McIlroy sit Jbe Kruger and Jordan Smith, both of whom are enjoying a fantastic week in South Africa.

The latter has especially shone, and he was once again giving the people something to cheer on Saturday. On the 309-yard 12th hole, Smith took dead aim with nothing more than an iron...and made it.

He converted the putt for an impressive eagle that set him on his way to a four-under 68 and a tie for third on 13 under.

Despite Storm’s three-shot lead, the BMW SA title is very much up for grabs on Sunday.

There are definite low scores out there on the course, and if the likes of Smith or McIlroy can get something going with the putter, then the leader may well be pipped at the post.

If Storm keeps doing what he’s doing and keeps the bogies off the card, though, his second European Tour title is almost assured.