NORTH WEST – In a remarkable debut appearance at Africa’s major golf event, the Nedbank Golf Challenge, American Max Homa has firmly secured his spot at the top of the leaderboard after a stellar third-round performance.

Homa’s impressive round of 69 propelled him to a solo lead at the Gary Player Country Club with a total of 13 under par.

As the best-ranked player in the 66-man field, Homa holds a one-shot advantage over Frenchman Matthieu Pavon heading into the final round.

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Expressing his excitement, Homa stated, “It’s a dream and an honor to have an opportunity… When you see the previous winners’ names, they are impressive, and it would be cool to cap off this amazing experience with a trophy.”

Looking ahead to the final round, Homa emphasised the importance of maintaining consistency.

“All I can do is put myself in the best position, and all I need to do is to keep doing the same in round four.”

Despite facing some challenges in the early part of the round, Homa settled in and showcased his resilience.

“It was a little scrappy early, hit a squarely drive and a squarely iron shot. Settled in really nicely and started to hit the ball better in the second third of the round,” he reflected on his performance.

While Homa dominates the leaderboard, South African golfer Hennie du Plessis faced a tougher day, struggling with five bogeys and too few birdies to card a frustrating 74.

Du Plessis is the best-placed South African at 5 under par.

The 41st edition of the tournament drew thousands of South African fans, eager to support both local and international golfing stars enduring the heat.

Nedbank’s Marketing and Corporate Affairs Group Executive, Khensi Nobanda, expressed satisfaction with the fan experience: “Our sponsorship of the Nedbank Golf Challenge reaffirms our support for golf in South Africa. We made sure that this year we have a strong field and are happy that fans can get to watch the likes of Max Homa and Justin Thomas, who are here for the first time at Africa’s major.”

Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorships at Nedbank, highlighting the aspirational nature of golf and its alignment with the bank’s brand.

He noted the tournament’s positive impact on golf development, community upliftment, and the promotion of South Africa as a global destination, reaching around 540 million households through the European Tour’s global broadcast network.