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World number one Lee Westwood of England hits an approach shot on the seventh fairway...
World number one Lee Westwood shot a one-under-par 71 to stretch his lead to five after the third round of the Sun City Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club on Saturday.Westwood's game was not as hot as on the second day when his electrifying eight-under-par 64 gave him a three-shot lead, but he remained firmly in control, registering birdies on the second, sixth and 10th holes.
But the extreme heat packed a punch and the Briton faded towards the end with bogeys at the 13th and 17th.
"It was pretty hot, I felt drained and the legs were weary on the back nine," Westwood told a news conference.
"But I was three ahead at the start of the round and now the lead is five, which you don't expect when you're two-over for the last eight holes."
Fellow Englishman Ross Fisher, who was still three shots behind Westwood after 12 holes, collapsed badly as he sent his tee-shots at the 14th and 15th into trees, bogeying both holes, before finding the water in front of the 17th green and crashing to a double-bogey.
Fisher finished with a one-over-par 73 and slipped to eight-under overall. He was joined in a tie for second by South African Tim Clark, who soared up the leaderboard with a well-crafted round of 68.
Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez was in fourth place on seven-under-par, with three-time champion Ernie Els on six-under after both had briefly threatened to play themselves into contention. The duo carded 71s.
Fisher said: "On 14 I just went a bit too far right and the wind got hold of it. Then on 15 I compounded the error and went the other way.
"They were two bad drives at the wrong time because if I'd hit it down the middle on 14, I definitely had a chance of going for the green in two and putting some pressure on Lee."
Westwood felt conditions on Saturday had been much tougher than on the first two days.
"It was tricky, there was a lot more wind, the tees were back and the pins tucked away," he said.
"The course is in the middle of a volcano and so the wind swirls around the hills, it's the nature of the beast. Three bogeys in 54 holes is pretty good going."
(Editing by Dave Thompson; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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