Norris carded a six-under-par 66 at Trump International Golf Links on Saturday to move to nine under overall, opening a two-shot advantage over Matthew Jordan heading into Sunday’s finale.
The highlight of the round came at the par-five fourth hole when Norris holed a remarkable second shot from 267 yards with a three-wood for an albatross.
Norris admitted the shot exceeded expectations. “I was sort of borderline with a 3-wood there and my brother just gave me a number, and he said ‘trust it and go for it’, and I couldn’t have hit it any better,” Norris said.
“And once it pitched on the green, he’s like ‘go in ‘, and I’m like ‘nah, whatever’ and the next minute it goes in, so I’m happy.”
The albatross was the fifth of Norris’ professional career and the 124th recorded on the DP World Tour since 1999.
The 44-year-old followed that up with further birdies as Norris established a commanding lead before a bogey at the 15th briefly allowed the chasing pack to close the gap. “I’m very pleased with the way I played; I hit the ball nicely today and gave myself good chances,” Norris said.
“A bit of fortune with an albatross on four, so pretty pleased with it.”
Norris also praised caddie and brother Kyle Norris, who has been alongside Norris throughout much of a professional career spanning more than a decade. “He’s not been important just over the last couple of days, but over the last 10 to 12 years. We have a good bond,” Norris said.
“He knows my game better than anybody else.”
Jordan recovered from an opening-hole bogey to card a five-under 67 and move into second place on seven under.
Scott Jamieson sits third on six under after a round of 67.
Former halfway leader Matthew Southgate slipped back after a level-par 70 but remains in contention on four under alongside Keita Nakajima.
Connor McKinney, Andy Sullivan and Benjamin Follett-Smith are a further shot back on three under.
Norris birdied the 17th to restore a two-shot cushion late in the round and narrowly missed the opportunity to break the course record outright on the final hole.
Instead, Norris settled for a closing par and a share of the course record, while putting himself in a strong position to challenge for a third DP World Tour title. “I think we are in a good position, go out there tomorrow, have some fun and try to give myself some chances of birdies and see what happens,” Norris said.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
