Andy DevaneyShaun Norris is the Nexo Championship round three leader after producing the shot of the week and, more importantly, the round to go with it.
The South African matched the course record with a 66 at Trump International Golf Links, reaching nine under par and taking a two-stroke advantage into Sunday.
An albatross at the fourth supplied the theatre; the way he handled the less glamorous business afterwards may prove more useful.
Norris’s Nexo Championship albatross changes the arithmetic
Norris began the day one behind Matthew Southgate and was already moving in the right direction after a birdie at the first. Then came the fourth, a par five that briefly stopped behaving like one.
From the fairway, Norris holed his second shot for an albatross, the fifth of his career. His brother, on the bag and plainly not interested in timid club selection, had supplied the number.
“My brother gave me a number. He said: ‘just trust it and go for it’, and I could not have hit it any better. And once it pitched on the green, he’s, like, ‘go in’. I was like, ‘nah, whatever’. Next minute, it goes in. I was so happy.”
There are efficient ways to make three shots on a par five. Hitting the ball into the hole from the fairway remains fairly high on the list.
Course-record 66 gives Shaun Norris control
The spectacular moment did not turn the rest of the round into a ceremonial walk. Norris added birdies at the seventh and 14th, then dropped a shot at the par-four 15th as the advantage tightened.
That bogey mattered because Matthew Jordan was applying pressure ahead. Norris’s answer was tidy: a birdie followed by a par to close out a 66, equal the course record and restore a two-shot cushion.
“I was fortunate with an albatross on the fourth. So, yeah, pretty pleased with it.”
Fortunate, perhaps. The remaining 17 holes still required playing.
At 44, Norris is chasing a third DP World Tour title and his first since the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Championship. He will also have the comfort of a familiar voice beside him.
Of his brother, he said: “We’ve got a good bond (with brother). He knows my game better than anybody else, so I think we’re in a good position, you know, to go out there tomorrow, have fun, try and give some chances for birdies, and see what happens.”
Matthew Jordan keeps the pressure on
Jordan’s 68 was a very different sort of round. He opened with a bogey, recovered, and eventually found enough momentum to reach seven under par. Birdies at the final two holes were particularly useful, turning a good salvage operation into a place among Sunday’s principal contenders.
“The amount of chances I gave myself was brilliant.”
That line tells much of the story. Jordan did not convert everything, but he continued manufacturing opportunities until the scorecard caught up with the quality of his play.
The timing is notable. The 30-year-old finished runner-up at last week’s Danish Golf Championship and is still seeking his maiden DP World Tour title. Another late chance has arrived quickly. Golf, occasionally, has the decency not to make a player wait.
Scott Jamieson leads the home challenge
Scott Jamieson is one further back at six under after a 69 built on four birdies and a single bogey. The Scot described his day as “Really solid.” It needed to be.
Jamieson has not won since 2012, but he has placed himself close enough to make Sunday uncomfortable for those ahead. He also offered the simplest possible assessment of the task: “It looks like Shaun’s having a good day, so I’ll try to chase him down.”
Behind him, Southgate and Keita Nakajima share fourth place, while Connor McKinney, Andy Sullivan and Benjamin Follett-Smith sit at three under. Nakajima, who said he enjoys links golf and remains confident of his chances, is still close enough to matter if the leaders stall.
A final round with several kinds of pressure
Norris owns the lead, a course-record-equalling round and the shot everybody will remember. None of those guarantees much once Sunday begins.
Jordan arrives with recent experience of contending and another opportunity to win for the first time. Jamieson carries the home interest and a long gap since his last victory. Southgate and Nakajima are near enough to punish a slow start from the leaders.
Still, the advantage belongs to Norris, and not simply because nine under is better than seven. He has already absorbed a late mistake, answered it and finished strongly. The albatross gave him three shots in one spectacular gulp; the closing birdie may have told us rather more.
One round remains. Norris has the lead, his brother on the bag and everyone else doing the chasing. Sunday has been arranged accordingly.
