Van Velzen is playing his second full season on the Sunshine Tour while Schaper burst onto the scene in January 2020 staging of the SA Open when he secured a top ten as an amateur, achieving his best DP World Tour finish to date later that season when he finished second at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

They both go into today’s 4th round tied for the top spot on nine under par. South Africa currently occupies the top 4 with Louis de Jager, who posted a 70, one stroke behind the log leaders. Dean Burmester signs in at 4th with a 65 as he chases back-to-back wins following last week’s Joburg Open success. 

Svensson, who led on day 2, fell behind on day 3 and now places 9th as the day kicks off. 

Youngsters, Schaper and Van Velzen surprised many as they worked their way up the leaderboard on Saturday and aim to surprise again today as they take on the 4th and final round. 

SuperSport reports Schaper saying “I have some very good memories of this championship. Growing up and playing all the GolfRSA events and doing well in all of those, this is kind of the next one on the list. I had a strong amateur career with some good wins, and I’ve learnt a lot for this moment. Growing up you always want to win your National Open.” 

Van Velzen spoke about his game and stated, “I think I played unbelievably well today. I played smart golf. I stayed very patient and was fine with making pars out there. I wasn’t going to chase birdies with those tough flags because that’s how bogeys are made. But it was a lot of fun out there with the crowd chanting my name,” he said.

OFM Sport/Kayla Barker