Moriya strides to fourth in Aust Open

Moriya Jutanugarn fired her third straight 70 to stride into tied fourth position with a 9-under 210 after the third round of the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open yesterday.

The 18-year-old Bangkokian birdied the first, third and sixth holes before shooting a bogey on the 12th hole, which is proving to be her Achilles heel. She made a bogey on the same hole in the first round. But her fourth birdie on the 15th meant yet another 70 and 10 behind leader Lydia Ko and former world No 1 Shin Ji-yai.

"It was just another so, so day because I didn't drive well. I hardly hit my approach shots well on the fairways and did not have many birdie chances," said Moriya, who is two shots behind third placed Beatriz Recari. The Thai shared the fourth place with world No 1 Tseng Yani, overnight leader Mariajo Uribe, Gwladys Nocera and Carlota Ciganda.

Countrywoman Thidapa Suwannapura carded a third round 71 for a 214 total and tied for 35th place, a stroke ahead of Thai No 1 Pornanong Phatlum who was tied at 44th.

Hot putter helps Da Silva

Brazilian Adilson da Silva rediscovered his putting touch to take a three-stroke lead on Friday after two rounds of the Africa Open.

He completed a 10-under-par first round of 62 early Friday for a four-shot lead over South African Jaco van Zyl, with the late finish caused by a three-hour delay when 30-kilometre-an-hour winds moved balls on some greens.

The Brazilian returned to the 6066-metre East London Golf Club course soon after and excellent putting helped him to a four-under 68, with Van Zyl firing a 67 to retain second place and John Parry of England a 66 for third spot.

Da Silva has a two-round total of 130 with Van Zyl on 133, Parry on 134, South Africans Oliver Bekker (67) and Darren Fichardt (67) on 136 and Portuguese Ricardo Santos (66) and Frenchman Gregory Bourdy (67) a stroke further back.

A diminutive 41-year-old South Africa-based regular on the domestic Sunshine Tour, Da Silva dreams of representing Brazil at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

But his more immediate target is a first European Tour victory today in this Indian Ocean town, as the foreign contingent seek to end a South African stranglehold on the Africa Open since its inception five years ago.

Shaun Norris and Retief Goosen won the first two editions, and Major winners Louis Oosthuizen (twice) and Charl Schwartzel topped the leaderboard since it became a co-sanctioned European Tour-Sunshine Tour event three years ago.

Oosthuizen, Schwartzel and compatriots George Coetzee, Branden Grace and Richard Sterne missed the Africa Open because they are preparing for the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona next week.

Da Silva had three birdies and one bogey on the first nine and two birdies on the second and said later he owed the four-under 68 to good reading by him and his caddie of tricky, sloping greens.

"My putting, which has been letting me down lately, suddenly came alive. I had about 24 putts, which makes it one of my best rounds as I was averaging 32 in Asia last year," said the Brazilian.

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