Skogen and Giboudot lead tight battle for SDC Open trophy

Norway’s Baard Skogen and France’s Maxence Giboudot will head into the final round of the SDC Open tied for the lead on 15 under par after a thrilling third round of low scoring at the Zebula Golf Estate & Spa on Saturday.

Skogen signed for a 64 to top the leaderboard, and Giboudot birdied the last for a 68 to join him.

“I’m over the moon. I made some long putts and couldn’t be more pleased,” said Skogen, who finished fifth in this tournament last year.

The key to his round on Saturday was some incredible putting, especially for his two eagles on the 15th and 18th holes.

“I hit a nice shot into 15 and it stayed just short of the ridge, and I got lucky with the putt. On 18, that putt had some speed but went in the hole so I got lucky with that one,” he said.

🇳🇴 Baard Skogen made two eagles 🦅 on his way to carding a third round 64, the Norwegian is co-leader heading into the final round. #SDCOpen pic.twitter.com/iloaYVeKtl — Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) January 31, 2026

His round of eight under was one better than he’d told his friend would be needed for him to get back into this tournament.

“I told my friend yesterday that if I shoot seven under I’d get back in the tournament. I played poorly on moving day here last year so I did better than that today. I felt like I did good work over the winter so hopefully I’m seeing the fruits of my labour.”

Giboudot remains in contention to become the second French winner of this title after Clement Sordet in 2022.

The leaders are one stroke clear of South Africa’s MJ Viljoen, who posted a 66, and Germany’s Jannik de Bruyn, who signed for a 67.

It’s a tight leaderboard going into Sunday’s final round, and it’s exactly what Skogen is looking forward to.

“Who wouldn’t be excited? We get to play for a win. That’s what we work for. Everybody wants to win. I haven’t won as a pro and didn’t win much in college. It’s been a long time since I’ve won something.”