Laporta leads into moving day with SA Open chasing pack hot in pursuit in Stellenbosch
SA Open
Italian Francesco Laporte will lead the field on day 3 of the 115th SA Open as he makes a bid to become the first golfer from Italy to win the tournament.
Image: Carl Fourie | Sunshine Tour
Francesco Laporta believes South Africa is his second home — and this weekend he has a chance to make a little history here.
The Italian leads the way at the country’s oldest professional golf tournament, the South African Open, and is bidding to become the first player from Italy to lift the trophy. Sitting on 10-under-par at Stellenbosch Golf Club, Laporta takes a slender one-shot advantage into Saturday’s third round.
Having spent several years living in Johannesburg and competing on the Sunshine Tour before returning to Italy, Laporta says his affection for South Africa has never faded.
He will headline Saturday’s sold-out action in the Winelands alongside England’s Nathan Kimsey (-9), with the pair teeing off at 12.45pm. It will be a partly cloudy day, with the wind set to pick up significantly around the time the leaders tee off.
South Africa’s Dean Burmester (-8) lies third, while Hennie du Plessis (-7), the current course record holder, is tied for fourth with Englishman Joe Dean and fellow South African Herman Loubser. Burmester and Du Plessis are out at 12.36pm, shortly after Dean and Loubser at 12.27pm.
“I like playing in South Africa; it’s been my second home for a long time,” Laporta said.
“This course actually reminds me a lot of the Johannesburg layouts. It’s tough, the fairways are tight and there’s plenty of rough, so you have to hit it straight. I like it. I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’m sure the fans will cheer for the South Africans, but they’re always fair and it’s great to play in front of them.”
The closest an Italian has come to winning the SA Open was Renato Paratore, who finished tied second in 2023. Laporta will hope his accuracy off the tee — a consistent strength this week — holds firm over the weekend as he chases a breakthrough victory.
Elsewhere, Burmester’s Southern Guards team-mate Branden Grace (-5) is tied for 10th alongside Casey Jarvis and the United Arab Emirates’ Adrian Otaegui as he looks to climb the leaderboard in round three.