South African Open Championship Leaderboard And Live Report: Thunderstorm Stops Play With Casey Jarvis Closing In On Consecutive Wins And Masters Spot

DU PLESSIS IN THE DRINK

All three players found the fairway, but only two land their approach shots on the green. Du Plessis pulls his second shot into the bank protecting the putting surface before it rolls back into the water. That's his chances of winning over.

BACK UNDERWAY

We are back underway and Jarvis wastes no time in thrashing a drive down the middle. He wants this over with as quickly as possible.

PLAY SET TO RESUME

There is a break in the weather at Stellenbosch and they're set to resume play in the next 15-20 minutes.

UPDATE

According to the broadcast, the delay is hoped to only be a short one. The players haven't gone too far and officials are hopeful they can complete the event soon.

I will, of course, keep you updated.

THUNDERSTORM STOPS PLAY

Talk about timing! A huge rumble of thunder arrives just as the leaders reach the 18th tee box and they have been required to leave the golf course due to the threat of lightning.

CHIP IN

And he does! Hennie Du Plessis delicately dabs his ball into the fringe and it rolls out at perfect weight before dropping into the hole, consequently sending the crowd wild.

What have you got in response, Casey Jarvis?

Ooh. It will only be a par. Jarvis' putt misses right and he will walk down the 18th with a two-stroke advantage instead of a three...

VERY GOOD

Laporta was partially blocked out by trees down the left, but he gently nudged his ball under them and ran it up onto the putting surface, leaving himself a decent birdie look. Applause from me.

Keen to maintain the standard, Jarvis clips his ball just past the flag and causes it to zip back a few feet. A birdie there could be the cherry on top of the cake.

Du Plessis went last after driving his ball miles but into the right rough. It was an awkward flop shot that he left, and it didn't come off. He now has to chip in...

SHORT PAR 4

The 17th at Stellenbosch is a short-ish par-4 at 385 yards. Jarvis rifles one through the heart of it with hundreds, if not thousands, of people lining either side of the hole and cheering for him.

De Plessis flies one just past him, but the leader won't be too worried at this stage. Laporta, meanwhile, pulls his drive into the left-hand rough. He is leaking oil down the stretch.

TALE OF TWO PARS (AND A BOGEY)

Du Plessis gives it a good go from 15 feet away, but it stays up to the left and he walks away - slightly frustrated - with a four.

Moments later, Jarvis jars a testing right-to-left slider for par and lets out a huge sigh of relief. He knows how big that putt could prove to be.

Unfortunately, Laporta couldn't complete the hat-trick up the slope and slips back into a share of fourth on -10 alongside Eddie Pepperell.

Jarvis still leads by three on -14. Two holes to go.

TALE OF TWO CHIPS

Laporta takes a 50 degree and leaves his chip and run from just off the green maybe eight feet short. He's not happy.

Jarvis then takes a flatter club and jabs his ball into the surface from a similar position, only for it to run out eight feet past the hole. He's not happy.

PILE THE PRESSURE ON

Hennie Du Plessis did find the fairway, and takes advantage by dropping his approach into 15-20 feet, perhaps. He needs this to make Jarvis a little more uncomfortable coming home.

TOUGH SPOT

Oh dear, Casey Jarvis has found himself in a tough spot after that drive out to the right. He's surrounded by big trees and only has a small gap to punch out of.

Bang, look at that. What a shot. He drills a low cutty one through the gap and runs after it like a dog following a tennis ball. The golf ball digs its toes in just short of the green, but that's a brilliant shot regardless.

Meanwhile, Laporta's first ball was so bad it was good. It landed in a barren area and he was able to push it just short of the green as well.

TOUGH CONDITIONS

Welcome to South Africa. The weather is doing all sorts. Against the backdrop of gloomy skies, it's raining steadily while the sun is also out. Add in a stiff breeze and it adds up to difficult conditions.

Jarvis and Laporta both send their drives well right, although the Italian's ball might be in real trouble. He's hitting a provisional, but the commentary is saying his ball is safe, so it shouldn't be required.

MUST MAKES

At the par-3 15th, Jarvis, Du Plessis and Francesco Laporta all have birdie chances. They're not great ones, admittedly, but the latter two in particular may have to make them.

Du Plessis goes first... but it's a very tame effort. He's disappointed.

Jarvis is up next, but it just tails off right at the end. That was a good try.

Last is Laporta, but again it's weak and he doesn't even give himself chance. The chasers are not making life difficult enough for Jarvis.

KEY MOMENT

The par-4 14th has just provided another key moment in this final round. Jarvis safely navigated the hole despite finding rough off the tee. However, Hennie Du Plessis made a bogey as a result of tree trouble to fall three strokes behind.

Jarvis is at 14-under as the rain begins to fall...

WELCOME

Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of the closing stages of the 2026 Investec South African Open.

Casey Jarvis leads by three strokes with four holes to play, and he's been the man in control since the beginning of the day, if I'm honest.

A birdie at the first set the tone for the South African, and he appears to be heading towards consecutive DP World Tour titles as well as a spot at The Masters and The Open Championship.

Can he close it out? Let's find out. Thanks for tuning in!