Louis Oosthuizen will tee off his final round at The Open on Sunday with a one-shot lead over playing partner Collin Morikawa.
The 2010 winner, who has finished as runner-up six times in majors, is eyeing a wire-to-wire victory at Royal St George's, where he starts his fourth round at 14:35 local time at 12 under.
American Morikawa also has a second major in his sights, having claimed the 2020 US PGA Championship.
Jordan Spieth is firmly in the mix, the three-time major winner and 2017 Champion Golfer of the Year at nine under, while pre-tournament favourite Jon Rahm is two strokes further back.
Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler are each on eight under and hoping to earn maiden major triumphs.
Glorious weather means the course is set fair for low scoring for anyone who can summon the courage and accuracy to take on some tough pin positions at the Kent links.
There was promise in the early scores coming in, with American trio Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau all shooting 65.
If any of the leading trio should go that low, it will rule out the chasing pack and reduce the contenders down to the final couple of groups on course.
That would mean Brooks Koepka's surge up the leaderboard would still leave him short, the four-time major winner having made the turn in 31.
South Africa have confirmed Bongi Mbonambi, Scarra Ntubeni and Dan du Preez have been cleared to link up with the squad after completing their mandatory self-isolation period following positive COVID-19 tests results.
The trio were forced to sit out South Africa A's victory over the British and Irish Lions on Wednesday, as well as the shock 17-14 defeat to the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium.
With six days to go until the series opener against the Lions in Cape Town, all three players have been cleared to resume training with their team-mates.
South Africa had not played a Test match in 20 months prior to beating Georgia two weeks ago, and Kwagga Smith accepts there is a lot of work ahead for the reigning world champions.
"We haven't played Test matches in almost two years, so we got together and started working on it in the last three games and we can now analyse that," he told SA Rugby's official website.
"We need to use our opportunities because in Test matches there aren't many of them, so we have to convert them into points, and we have to sharpen up and get into our system and enforce it onto them."
The majority of the Boks' fringe players failed to impress in the defeat to Bulls, whereas the Lions flexed their muscles with a 49-3 win over the Stormers in their final warm-up match.
Cobus Reinach, one of the rare shining lights for South Africa on Saturday, agrees with Smith that a big improvement is needed if his side are to stop Warren Gatland's men.
"We left a lot of opportunities on the park, but that is something for us to look at, and each one of us has to look at our performance," he said.
"We can improve, and we have to ensure that we do better when we find ourselves in a similar situation. We are aligned as a squad and we know what we have to do.
"We need to execute what we want to do at a platinum standard, and everyone just needs to do their job and make sure they do it well.
"Collectively we didn’t put our stamp down, but we can fix that, and we are feeling confident going forward."
Devin Booker reflected on a tough loss for the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, admitting they "let it go" against the Milwaukee Bucks after making a great start.
After suffering straight losses on the road, the red-hot Suns scored 37 points in the opening quarter on Saturday, landing 14 of their 19 attempts from the field.
However, trailing by 16 after one, the Bucks hit back in emphatic fashion to seize control. They had 43 in the second and then 36 in the third, meaning they led the pivotal contest 100-90 going into the final quarter.
The Suns were unable to close the gap down the stretch, a 123-119 defeat meaning Milwaukee holds a 3-2 lead in the series - they can clinch a first NBA title for the franchise since 1971 at home on Tuesday.
"It was tough. We came out and did what we intended to do, get off to a great start and we let it go," Booker, who finished with 40 points, told the media.
"They stayed resilient and they kept playing through. So, tough loss for us."
It was a second successive 40-point outing for Booker, who becomes the first player in NBA Finals history to lose back-to-back games despite reaching that mark. He is one of just five to have that happen in a playoff series, too.
The Suns now find themselves in a win-at-all-costs scenario in the series, a situation they have not faced previously during their impressive postseason run.
"We got to win one game to put them back on the plane. That's it. And you have to have that determination that you're willing to do whatever it takes to put them back on the plane," Phoenix head coach Monty Williams said.
"So, we can call it what we want to, mental toughness, all of that stuff, but it's going to be needed and our guys are capable of doing it. This is our first time in this position and we can do it."
Booker had the ball with the Suns down by one in the closing seconds, only for Jrue Holiday to steal possession. The Bucks guard then set up Giannis Antetokounmpo for a dunk with an alley-oop pass at the other end of the court, during which the two-time MVP was fouled.
The three-point play clinched the result in Milwaukee's favour, though Williams was more concerned by the problems his team had defensively in both the second and third quarters.
"You give up 79 points and the reasoning behind it, I got to look at the film to see it, but we just didn't have the same energy that we had in the first and fourth," he told the media.
"You look at the numbers, in the first and fourth, they have 44 points.
"So, whether it's schematics or just outright grit and toughness during those moments, to just get a stop, we couldn't get any consecutive stops in the second and the third.
"That ended up being the, not the difference, but it just put us in a hole and we felt, I felt like we were playing from behind for a long, long time."
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the centerpiece and Khris Middleton was coming off a career game, but Jrue Holiday made the biggest plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in their pivotal Game 5 win.
Bouncing back from a brutal shooting performance in Game 4, Milwaukee's point guard led the way on both ends of the court in Saturday's 123-119 win over the Phoenix Suns that left the Bucks one win away from an NBA title.
Holiday shook off a four-for-20 night the previous time out to serve as the catalyst in the second quarter that broke the game open for Milwaukee, and his steal and pass in the final minute sealed a pivotal win.
The latter play was the talk of the game afterward, as team-mates marveled at Holiday's move to knock the ball away from Devin Booker and try an audacious alley-oop feed to Antetokounmpo with 13.5 seconds remaining to stretch a one-point Milwaukee lead to three.
Max Fried did it all for the Atlanta Braves, pitching seven scoreless innings and collecting three hits in a 9-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Proving Shohei Ohtani is not the only multi-talented pitcher in the majors, Fried allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out seven on the mound and going 3-for-3 with a two-run double at the plate
Fried, who had a pinch-hit, walk-off single on July 4, boosted his batting average to .333 with his offensive effort Saturday.
In addition to their pitcher's heroics, the Braves also got home runs from new addition Joc Pederson and reigning National League MVP Freddie Freeman as they pulled to within a win of .500 at 45-46.
Giolito, White Sox dominate Astros
Chicago starter Lucas Giolito held the Houston Astros to just three hits and the White Sox pounded five home runs in a 10-1 victory over the Houston Astros.
Sixth-inning homers by Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres were the difference for the New York Yankees in a rain-shortened 3-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.
The Milwaukee Brewers scored three times in the 11th inning against Sean Doolittle to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 and extend their division lead to six games.
Robbie Grossman had a leadoff home run in Game 1 and Miguel Cabrera a walk-off bloop single in Game 2 as the Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins 1-0 and 5-4.
Ohtani runs out of gas
After a busy week as the center of attention at the All-Star Game, Ohtani turned in his worst batting performance of the year, going 0-for-5 with a season-high four strikeouts in the Los Angeles Angels' 9-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. It was only the second time in 340 MLB games Ohtani has struck out four times at the plate. The other, on Aug. 30, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox, was a 15-inning game in which he made eight plate appearances.
Pirates slam Mets
Trailing 6-0 to the New York Mets, the Pittsburgh Pirates scored five runs in the eighth inning before Jacob Stallings' walk-off grand slam in the ninth gave them a 9-7 victory.
Saturday's results
Detroit Tigers 1-0 Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers 5-4 Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees 3-1 Boston Red Sox
Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 New York Mets
Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 Cincinnati Reds
Atlanta Braves 9-0 Tampa Bay Rays
Chicago White Sox 10-1 Houston Astros
Baltimore Orioles 8-4 Kansas City Royals
St Louis Cardinals 3-1 San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-2 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Angels 9-4 Seattle Mariners
Chicago Cubs 4-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Cleveland Indians 3-2 Oakland Athletics
San Diego Padres 8-4 Washington Nationals (suspended)
Philadelphia Phillies 2-2 Miami Marlins (suspended)
Toronto Blue Jays-Texas Rangers (postponed)
Astros at White Sox
After splitting their first two games, division leaders the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox will square off again in Chicago with the series on the line.
The Milwaukee Bucks withstood a scorching start by the Phoenix Suns before their three stars carried them to a 123-119 road victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, putting them one win away from their first championship in 50 years.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points, Khris Middleton had 29 and Jrue Holiday 27 in an entertaining to overcome a 40-point effort by Suns star Devin Booker and quiet the raucous Phoenix crowd.
Like their fans, the Suns came out hot. Booker attempted Phoenix's first two shots of the game and missed both, but the Suns made 11 in a row from the field after that and held a 16-point lead after the first quarter.
Their hot hand was short-lived, though, as the Bucks exploded for a 25-6 run and outscored the Suns 43-24 in the second quarter to take a 64-61 lead at the break.
Milwaukee appeared on the verge of running away with the game, extending the lead to as many as 14 early in the fourth quarter before the Suns staged a late rally.
Phoenix trimmed the deficit to three on a Booker three-pointer with 1:24 to play and Chris Paul fouled Antetokounmpo the next time down the court, forcing him to his least comfortable spot on the court: the free-throw line, where he would make just four of 11 Saturday.
The Greek star missed both free throws and Paul answered with a driving layup to bring the Suns within one with 56.6 seconds remaining.
Antetokounmpo redeemed himself moments later, running the floor after Holiday stole the ball from Booker to finish an alley-oop dunk that put Milwaukee's lead back at three.
After missing yet another free throw, Antetokounmpo tipped the rebound back out to Middleton, who was fouled and broke the Bucks' free-throw drought for a four-point advantage with 9.8 seconds remaining.
That proved to be enough as Booker missed a jumper with five seconds to play and Phoenix could not get off another shot.
According to Stats Perform, the Bucks are just the fourth team in NBA history to win Games 3 through 5 after dropping the first two games of the NBA Finals.
The 2006 Miami Heat were the last to do it and ended up closing out the series against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6.
Suns at Bucks
The Bucks can claim their first NBA title since 1971 with a win in Game 6 Tuesday in Milwaukee.
Saturday's Washington Nationals-San Diego Padres game was suspended in the sixth inning after a shooting occurred just outside the stadium.
Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department said on Twitter that two people were shot on South Capitol Street, which runs behind the third-base line of Nationals Park.
Police said there was no "ongoing threat" after the initial incident.
As the Nationals walked off the field after recording the final out in the top of the sixth, a series of loud reports could be heard inside Nationals Park.
Videos posted to social media showed people scrambling for cover inside the stadium, and both teams left the dugouts to return to their clubhouses.
Some players were seen coming back out to the field and leading family members to safety inside the clubhouses.
The Nationals initially put a message on the stadium video board asking fans to remain inside the ballpark, and announced about 40 minutes later that the game had been suspended "due to an incident surrounding Nationals Park."
The game will resume in the bottom of the sixth inning at 1:05 p.m. local time Sunday, with the regularly scheduled game to follow.
New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has been shut down by injury concerns once again.
The pitcher experienced tightness in his right forearm during a bullpen session Friday after having similar issues earlier in the week, and manager Luis Rojas said the team will not allow him to throw again until the issue has subsided.
An MRI scan Saturday revealed no structural damage, but deGrom will not make his second-half debut Monday as scheduled.
The 33-year-old has posted staggering numbers this season, going 7-2 with an MLB-best 1.08 ERA in 15 starts and striking out a remarkable 14.3 batters per nine innings while walking just 1.1 per nine.
Amid performances like that, the only real struggle for deGrom has been staying on the field. He previously spent two weeks on the injured list with tightness in his side, and has departed starts early due to flexor tendinitis and shoulder soreness.
Those concerns led to deGrom sitting out this week's All-Star Game in Colorado, but Rojas said the pitcher does not believe his current issue is related to his earlier troubles.
“I talked to him and I asked him if there was a correlation, and he said no,” Rojas told reporters. “He said that this is different tightness.
"We'll find out more. ... They're going to do some more treatment and I don't know if they're going to do more tests after an MRI, but we should find out more about it, to see what it is and if it goes away.”
Losing deGrom for any significant length of time will be a blow to the Mets' chances of winning the National League (NL) East division.
They have been in first place every day since May 8 but the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves expect to make a push in the second half.
Atlanta already has made a trade to acquire outfielder Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs and they and the Phillies could make more moves before the July 31 trade deadline.
Jon Rahm still believes he has a chance to win the Open Championship, though warned a famous comeback will be tougher to achieve than it was at the U.S. Open.
A third-round 68 from Rahm left him at seven under for the tournament, five shots behind leader Louis Oosthuizen going into the final day.
Rahm charged from behind to win his first major at the expense of Oosthuizen last month but the pre-tournament favourite knows he needs to produce something close to perfection to repeat the feat.
Collin Morikawa is one shot behind Oosthuizen, while Jordan Spieth is at nine under with Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler, both in search of maiden majors, also sitting ahead of Rahm on eight under.
"I believe I can do it, yeah," said Rahm. "I've been playing really good golf. Believe it or not [on Friday] I shot 64 and I left a few out there. I played really good golf.
"[On Saturday] I made a couple of mistakes off the fairway that cost me a few. Maybe a couple of shots where I got a little bit quick through the process and it cost me a shot.
"Missed both greens on my second shots at 1 and 13, two moments where if I could go back I could have given myself a better chance.
"So I'm going to have to eliminate those little mistakes on Sunday and hopefully start strong. If I can shoot under par in the first five holes that will be stealing a couple of strokes on the rest of the field.
"So start that strong and play the rest of the course that way I have, I'll give myself a chance.
"Hopefully I'm not too far away. I know I did make a comeback at the U.S. Open, but I feel like three shots in the U.S. Open are not that much, right? Bogeys can happen and I showed that it can be made up.
"Now on this golf course, if I'm that far away, I'm going to possibly need a little bit more wind than we had.
"If not, I'm going to need a really good round of golf, if [the weather] is like it has been I will need something close to record-breaking stuff.
"I need something around 63, 64 to be able to give myself a chance because I'm guessing somebody else in front of me will come out to shoot possibly three, four, or five under and get far away."
Rahm was happier with his 68 once he saw many others had struggled to score low, citing how difficult the pin positions had been.
He added: "Really good round. Played good golf.
"I had some really good highlights - because of the weather conditions it's easy to think it could have been a little bit better, but the pin locations were no joke.
"I don't know if on TV you could appreciate it, but those are some of hardest pin locations collectively I've ever seen.
"On a golf course that's not easiest it can get tricky. The scores show it, two under is a much better round than I thought it was for a while."
Lewis Hamilton thinks Mercedes will need to play "the long game" if they are to have any chance of beating Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the British Grand Prix.
The first-ever Formula One sprint race took place on Saturday, with Verstappen passing Hamilton – who had qualified fastest in a new Friday session - on the first lap and going on to win.
That means Verstappen is awarded pole position and three championship points with Hamilton and third-placed Valtteri Bottas having to settle for two and one respectively.
Hamilton is grateful to have the chance to bounce back in the main race on Sunday but is under no illusions over the size of the task facing him on home soil as Verstappen seeks a fourth consecutive F1 victory.
"Sunday is going to be tough," Hamilton, who is seeking a record eighth win at Silverstone, told reporters after the 17-lap sprint.
"He [Verstappen] had a lot of pace in him and I don't think he was particularly having to push too hard, and we were flat-out.
"If I can try somehow to keep up with them through the stints, maybe we can apply pressure through strategy – but we're not going to be overtaking them on the track: they're just too fast.
"So, we play the long game hopefully."
In the sprint race it was a slow start that cost Hamilton, who now trails Verstappen by 33 points.
The seven-time world champion added: "I gave it everything, it's just not good when you lose from P1. We'll try to turn the negative into a positive.
"Every point counts, but I'm grateful to have finished. We will fight again, but they're just so strong, in the race he was pulling away. There was nothing I could do to hold onto him.
"We really have to try and be in front somehow. I wish we could re-do the start again, but luckily we have it again on Sunday."
Verstappen believes Mercedes are competitive rivals for the race and the Dutchman will be outnumbered given Sergio Perez, who spun off and later retired in the sprint, will start at the back of the grid.
"What we learned on Saturday is that it's very close again," said the championship leader.
"It's a bit different. It seems like we are quick through corners, they are quick on the straight this weekend.
"The pace was alright but I still expect with a pit-stop coming into play – or two pit stops, who knows – it’s again going to be a good fight."
Hamilton was positive about the trial changes made to the format this weekend, but thinks everything, including qualifying, should be packed in to Saturday and Sunday if a sprint becomes a permanent feature.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he added: "We should do more like that [the sprint], maybe a different version of it, in future because this makes the weekend more enjoyable I think.
"They did a great job and I think the fans enjoyed it, from what we saw on the parade laps.
"I think this weekend's been awesome in terms of Friday, it was such a fun day to have qualifying - way more enjoyable [than practice would have been].
"It's always nice doing more races that’s for sure, but it is almost like they should almost do the sprint race on the Sunday and then the race because there could be a lot of sitting around for people on Sunday.
"It's been great to try something new - we should just do a long Saturday and long Sunday. P1, P2, qualifying on Saturday and then a sprint race and a race on Sunday. Pack it all in!
"That means we have one whole day less, 23 days actually less of driving these cars around the track and obviously that would be better in terms of going more green."
George Russell finished the sprint in ninth but has been handed a three-place grid penalty for an incident with Carlos Sainz.
He therefore drops to 12th, with Esteban Ocon, Sainz and Pierre Gasly the beneficiaries.
Marcus Smith played himself into contention to start the first Test against South Africa after a debut for the British and Irish Lions that delighted Warren Gatland.
Coach Gatland also expressed satisfaction at seeing Alun Wyn Jones back in action during Saturday's 49-3 win over the Stormers, three weeks after the captain dislocated his shoulder against Japan.
There will be "robust debate" over the coming days, Gatland predicted, as he and his coaching team consider their options for the July 24 series opener against the Springboks.
"With Marcus Smith, the longer the game went on, the better he looked and more comfortable out there," Gatland said.
Smith was a late addition to the tourists' squad, summoned from England duty after winning his first caps for Eddie Jones' side, but the Harlequins fly-half brought youthful zest to the Lions in Cape Town.
His kicking was reliable too, Smith nailing the extras for each of the Lions' seven tries.
As for whether the 22-year-old should start against South Africa, Gatland said: "Those are conversations we haven't had. I thought he looked good out there, some lovely touches. He kicked for goal well and I thought he defended well.
"For a guy who's only had one training session I thought it was pretty good. He'll be part of the discussions, no doubt about that.
"A lot of people put their hand up tonight and there were some pleasing performances on Wednesday too."
Wednesday's game saw the Lions beaten 17-13 by a strong South Africa A team, and Gatland made wholesale changes for the Stormers clash, allowing him to have a good look at all his options.
The return of Jones, who arrived in South Africa only on Thursday, means he assumes the tour captaincy again. That responsibility was initially transferred to Conor Murray when it appeared Jones had no chance of being involved.
Murray was more than happy to hand over the leadership duty, Gatland said, with one caveat.
"Conor, he's the first to admit he was more than comfortable for Alun Wyn to come back," Gatland said. "He wasn't prepared to give up his bedroom suite though, because I think he got the captain's bedroom suite."
Jones had almost half an hour as a second-half replacement against the Stormers, and Gatland said Test rugby's most-capped player would benefit from getting back to action.
"I thought he put a few shots on and defended well, had a couple of touches," Gatland said in his post-game news conference.
"The big thing for him was to get through that period and then to see how he was afterwards.
"We'll have that discussion about whether there's a role for him, either as a starter or a bench player or not involved next week.
"If he is not involved, we'll look at who potentially leads the team."
Spectators soaked up the sunshine on another glorious day at Royal St George's as The Open Championship's third round left us poised for a thrilling finale.
On the course it looks set to be a final-day shoot-out between three major champions, with Louis Oosthuizen, Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth setting the pace.
Meanwhile, there was plenty happening on the other side of the ropes as fans lapped up the entertainment on offer.
Our man on the ground brings you all the latest after being out and about on the Kent links on Saturday...
CELEBRITY SPOTTING
Big sporting events tend to attract stars from all manner of show business backgrounds, and it seems stand-up comedians are not immune to the allure of a golf major.
As this reporter was roaming alongside the 18th fairway he heard a familiar voice asking where the official Open shop was.
"It's the big building over there with 'the shop' written on it," I said.
"You're very helpful, thank you," replied British comedian Michael McIntyre.
PLAN OF ACTION
As a spectator at a golf event, you have a multitude of options: pick a spot and make it your own for the day; follow a particular group; or maybe just wander around and see what you see.
One cluster of fans who had only just arrived were gathered around a course map, each apparently with very different ideas about what to do.
In such situations, it takes a leader to sort things out and, luckily for this group, the best man for the job stepped forward.
"Why don't you argue about this from somewhere you can actually see the golf?" he said, ushering the group away from the entrance.
WESTWOOD GRAFTING
Away from the gaze of the cameras and long after his round of 70 had come to a close with a birdie at the 18th, Lee Westwood was putting in the hard yards on the practice range.
The Englishman was one of a handful of players grafting away in the evening sun as, even at the age of 48, he showed every day presents an opportunity to learn and improve.
That's the commitment it takes to succeed!
Louis Oosthuizen and Collin Morikawa are relishing a final-day battle at The Open Championship as both men seek to double their major tally.
It is 2010 Champion Golfer of the Year Oosthuizen who holds a narrow advantage, leading by one at 12 under going into the Sunday's round at Royal St George's.
The South African has two runner-up finishes at majors this year, while Morikawa is looking to add to the US PGA Championship title he won in 2020.
Oosthuizen was four shots clear of his rival around the turn but Morikawa finished strongly, with the duo being chased down by the likes of 2017 Claret Jug winner Jordan Spieth (nine under) and pre-tournament favourite Jon Rahm (seven under).
Oosthuizen, whose 69 was one stroke worse than Morikawa's score, was left to rue some missed opportunities but was content to still be at the summit.
"I was minus 13 at a stage," he said. "Probably a good back nine I could have gone to 14 or 15. There was a few very tough pins out there that you can't really go for at all.
"I did have a lot of opportunities to go two or three better, but that's what this golf course can do to you.
"I'm happy with the lead and need to play some good golf tomorrow."
Asked if the prospect of a second Open triumph might keep him awake ahead of the final round, Oosthuizen said visualising success can only be a good thing.
"You need to believe that you can lift the trophy," he explained. "If you think about it beforehand that you might win this championship, I think that's great, and you have to believe you can do it.
"I don't really change my routine whether I've got a two-shot lead or I'm trailing by eight. You know, the only thing that differs is the tee time.
"I would say just try and keep yourself busy and don't let your mind wander too much."
Meanwhile, Morikawa will draw on his experience from TPC Harding Park, where he won his maiden major by two strokes from Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey in August last year.
"I think the biggest thing I can draw from the PGA is just knowing I can get it done," he said.
"But I think confidence just comes from hitting good shots, quality shots, seeing putts go in.
"There is a lot to draw from, especially this week. I don't have much experience on links golf and pretty much all the highlights in my head are from this week.
"Hopefully we can just use that momentum from the first three days and just bring it into the last 18. It's going to be a grueling 18, but I look forward to it.
"It's position you want to be in. As an athlete, golfer, you want to be in this position. I love it, so I really look forward to it."
Louis Oosthuizen will take a one-shot lead into the final round of The Open, where two fellow major winners are his closest rivals.
The 2010 champion will go out in the final group at Royal St George's on Sunday, when he will have 2020 US PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa for company.
Oosthuizen, who sits at 12 under and is chasing a wire-to-wire triumph, has had two runner-up finishes in majors this year, taking his career tally to six.
Also in the mix is Jordan Spieth, who claimed the Claret Jug in 2017, but the American's third round finished with back-to-back bogeys to leave him three adrift.
Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler, both in search of maiden majors, are poised at eight under.
Pre-tournament favourite and U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm cannot be discounted at seven under, a score matched by Oosthuizen's fellow South African Dylan Frittelli.
Rory McIlroy threatened to get involved at the top end of the leaderboard after making the turn in 31, but three back-nine bogeys ended his hopes, while reigning champion Shane Lowry closed on five under.
It was a day to forget for world number one Dustin Johnson, whose 73 left him eight strokes adrift.
SHOT OF THE DAY
Danny Willett may ultimately have given back the two shots he gained with his hole-out eagle on the par-four 10th, but it was still a glorious shot.
The 2016 Masters champion was six under overall at that point and could scarcely believe what he had done.
CHIPPING IN
Rory McIlroy: "Sort of a tale of two nines. I played great on the front nine, hit some really good iron shots and converted some putts and really got it going. Then the back nine played tough."
Shane Lowry: "I have mixed emotions, to be honest, because I played great. I left a lot of shots out there."
Danny Willett: "It's always a bonus when they go in when you haven't holed a shot for a hell of a long time."
A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME...
- The 14th was the most generous hole as the par five played at an average of 4.53.
- McIlroy's five birdies was his best return from his first nine holes at an Open.
- Conners hit 92.86 per cent of fairways in his four-under 66.
In-form second seed Barbora Krejcikova saw off Wang Xinyu in straight sets on Saturday to set up an all-Czech final with Tereza Martincova on home soil at the Prague Open.
French Open champion Krejcikova needed just one hour and nine minutes to overcome Wang 6-1 6-2 and reach her third final in four tournaments.
Krejcikova controlled the match from the off, on her way to a routine win, with the world number 13 having still yet to drop a single set in the Czech capital.
Martincova had earlier been made to work a little harder for her victory over Greet Minnen, but the number eight seed advanced through to Sunday's final with a 6-3 6-4 win.
The 26-year-old let slip a 4-1 lead in the second set as Minnen pulled it back to 4-4, before taking her second match point with a strong forehand.
At the Lausanne Open, a new singles champion on the WTA Tour will be crowned on Sunday when Tamara Zidansek and Clara Burel face off.
Zidansek proved too strong for semi-final debutant Maryna Zanevska, prevailing 7-5 6-3, while Burel needed to dig deep to get the better of fifth seed Caroline Garcia.
Burel, who unlike Zidansek has never previously reached a WTA singles final at all, was a set and a break down to Garcia but recovered to take the match the distance.
The 20-year-old called a medical timeout in the decider, though she managed to put that behind her as she earned three breaks of serve to stun her French compatriot 5-7 6-2 6-2.
Elsewhere on Saturday, home favourite Dalma Galfi's tournament was brought to an end at the semi-final stage of the Hungarian Grand Prix with a 6-2 3-6 6-2 defeat to top seed Yulia Putintseva.
Wildcard entrant Galfi offered little in the first set to suggest she would push Putintseva all the way, but she did exactly that with a couple of breaks of serve in the second set.
However, Putintseva, looking to add to her only previous singles title at the 2019 Nuremberg Cup, stormed into a 5-1 lead in the deciding set and ended Galfi's hopes with her first match point.
The Russian will next take on Anhelina Kalinina, who led 6-7 (7-5) 4-1 against Danielle Collins in the other semi-final when her opponent withdrew injured.
Filip Krajinovic will take on Pablo Carreno Busta in the Hamburg European Open final on Sunday.
A memorable week for Krajinovic continued as he saw off fellow Serbian Laslo Djere 6-4 6-2 in his semi-final.
Sixth seed Krajinovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and ensured he followed up on that surprise victory with a dominant display against Djere on Saturday.
The victor committed only seven unforced errors in the match, while conceding just two break points in the contest.
Second seed Carreno Busta has not dropped a set all week and kept that run going with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 win over Federico Delbonis.
Carreno Busta needed just under two hours to see off a battling Delbonis, with neither player offering up a single break point in a first set that went the distance.
The Spaniard won five straight points to take the tie-break and continued that momentum into the second set when he broke Delbonis twice.
Neither Carreno Busta nor Krajinovic has ever won a tournament at ATP 500 level or above.
Carreno Busta has five career titles, but all of those are at ATP 250 level, losing to Dominic Thiem in his only showpiece appearance at this level at the Rio Open back in 2017.
Krajinovic, meanwhile, has lost all three of the career finals he has reached.
"I enjoy playing here, I feel comfortable here," Carreno Busta said. "It is my most important match this year on Sunday - I need to be really focused until the end.
"[Delbonis] is a really tough player and my level was very good. I probably played better in the second set, but I continued fighting all the time."
At the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, top seed Casper Ruud was comfortable as he defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-4 to earn a place in the final.
Ruud needed just 79 minutes to do the job, breaking Carballes Baena on five occasions.
He has only played two matches – both comfortable wins – to reach the final after a walkover against Henri Laaksonen in the quarters.
Rising star Ruud will bid for his second ATP title of the year and the third of his career against Federico Coria on Sunday.
Coria also had a comfortable last-four tie, seeing off Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 6-2 6 -1, with the win meaning the 29-year-old reached his maiden career tour final.
"I am very happy - it is my first final," said world number 77 Coria, who beat second seed Cristian Garin in the last eight.
"I played the best tennis of my life in this match. It is amazing here in Bastad, it is beautiful."
Alun Wyn Jones returned to British and Irish Lions action in a crushing 49-3 win over the Stormers as the tourists found form ahead of next week's first Test against the Springboks.
The man who was designated as captain for this tour, only to suffer a shoulder dislocation in the Murrayfield clash with Japan last month, has made a spirited recovery and played almost half an hour of a one-sided tussle in Cape Town.
Whether he now starts against South Africa remains to be seen, but Jones has given coach Warren Gatland food for thought, and he was hardly the only player to do that.
This seven-try demolition was a perfect response to the midweek defeat to South Africa A, with scrum-half Ali Price, hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and second-rower Adam Beard among the standouts.
The Stormers snatched a 20th-minute lead with a penalty from Tim Swiel, but the Lions had threatened already by that stage and it was not long before their quality began to show.
Josh Adams powered into space out wide and made valuable yards before the ball was fed back for Beard to jog through a gap in the Stormers ranks.
The defensive effort again seemed sub-par when Cowan-Dickie scrambled through for the Lions' second try in the 34th minute. He picked the ball from back of a maul, after his lineout throw, and scurried through to just short of the line before the Stormers got close to him.
It was 21-3 by the break, with Price feeding Beard who quickly relayed the ball to Stuart Hogg, and the captain put in Jonny Hill to score in the left corner.
Lions debutant Marcus Smith booted the extras each time and the young Englishman played a key part in the fourth try when his quick pass found Price, who in turn offloaded to number eight Jack Conan to run in from 30 metres.
With the game safe, and an eye on next weekend, Gatland introduced Jones just after the 50-minute mark, the most-capped player in Test rugby replacing Beard. The coach was looking for a steely run-out from the captain who dislocated his shoulder just three weeks ago.
Jones was not shirking anything, and Gatland made good use of his bench as the match went on, with Price doing his hopes of a Test start no harm before making way for Gareth Davies as the hour approached.
Tadhg Beirne had a try disallowed after a forward pass, before a fifth score for the tourists arrived in the 68th minute when Zander Fagerson dived over from close range.
Fagerson's fellow replacement Louis Rees-Zammit bolted in off the wing to net the Lions' late sixth try.
Smith, who created the space for that try, was again immaculate from the tee, converting for a seventh time after Sam Simmonds dotted down a last-gasp effort.
NAME YOUR PRICE
Is Conor Murray inked into Gatland's Test team, or might Price have done enough to edge ahead of the Irishman? Scotland scrum-half Price was impressive here, scurrying busily and purposefully like the man on a mission that he is. Price has done himself the power of good on this tour, and the Springboks will have taken note of the Glasgow Warriors man's threat and quick thinking behind the scrum.
Tadej Pogacar was unable to secure a time trial victory on stage 20 of the Tour de France but will complete the formality of back-to-back general classification triumphs in Paris on Sunday.
On last year's penultimate stage, Pogacar overhauled a 57 second deficit to fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic to snatch the Yellow Jersey, completing one of the most staggering turnarounds in the history of the race.
Such drama was never on the cards on the 31 kilometre route to Saint Emilion, given UAE Team Emirates' Pogacar boasted a lead in excess of five minutes, which Jonas Vingegaard trimmed slightly but not significantly as the race heads to its ceremonial conclusion in the French capital.
As such, he never had to pursue the stage win and its associated undue risk, with victory going to Wout van Aert in a time of 35 minutes and 53 seconds.
The Belgian rider has enjoyed a superb Tour and this was his second stage win – a sharply contrasting success to him twice conquering Mont Ventoux on a historic stage 11.
“It is quite something, winning a Tour de France time trial has been one of the biggest objectives in my career," Van Aert told ITV. "I've been really focused on this day in the last couple of days and I'm so happy that I can finish it off. The course was perfect for me."
Van Aert's Jumbo-Visma team-mate Vingegaard came in third, consolidating second place in the general classification standings, while fellow Dane Kasper Asgreen was runner-up on the day, 21 seconds in arrears.
Pogacar rolled in 57 seconds shy of Van Aert's mark in eighth, having long made this year's Yellow Jersey his own.
STAGE RESULT
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 35:53
2. Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +0:21
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:32
4. Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ) +:0:38
5. Nils Politt (EF Education-Nippo) +0:44
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 79:40:09
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +5:20
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +7:03
Points Classification
1. Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 304
2. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) 269
3. Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) 216
King of the Mountains
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 107
2. Wouter Poels (Bahrain Victorious) 88
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 82
What's next?
Alongside Pogacar's coronation in Paris, much of the focus will be on whether Mark Cavendish can sprint to glory on the Champs Elysees and go clear of the great Eddy Merckx with a 35th stage win of his career.
Max Verstappen inflicted more damage to Lewis Hamilton's Formula One title hopes as the Red Bull driver held on to win the inaugural sprint race at Silverstone.
Verstappen started in second in the trial event ahead of the British Grand Prix, but a flying first lap saw him overtake championship rival Hamilton by the first corner.
It was a lead which proved unassailable, the Dutchman cruising to a victory which sees him take pole position in Sunday's main race, as well as three championship points.
Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas ensured it was not all bad for Mercedes as they claimed second and third on the grid, while Fernando Alonso was unable to sustain a brilliant start.
Verstappen flew out of the blocks, with Hamilton unable to compensate when he attempted to skirt around the outside at the first corner, only to pull out of the manoeuvre.
Bottas was hot on the tracks of the duo, while Alonso charged up from 11th to fifth with a first lap just as impressive as Verstappen's effort.
The veteran Spaniard was unable to maintain it, though, dropping down to seventh as his soft tyres started to struggle.
Further ahead, Hamilton – who set a blistering time in Friday's qualifying session – was demanding more from his team over the radio, yet he could not close the gap on Verstappen, who held a 2.3 second lead heading into the 17th and final lap.
Hamilton managed to close in on the final straight, but Verstappen was the deserving victor in the first taster of F1's latest format tweak.
There was less luck for Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez, however, with the Mexican crashing on Lap 7, dropping down to 18th before Red Bull called him back to retire in the pits, meaning they have drivers bookending both ends of the grid.
Charles Leclerc came fourth, with Lando Norris capping a difficult week for him personally with an impressive drive to place himself fifth.
George Russell dropped to ninth, though faces an investigation for an early incident involving Carlos Sainz.
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