Rory Mcilroy to win golf's BMW SA Open, says leader Graeme Storm

Storm goes into the third round of the European Tour event today holding a two-shot lead in South Africa following a stunning 63 yesterday.

The Hartlepool golfer sank nine birdies in a flawless course record-equalling display to move from 13th to first on 12 under par – with South African duo Trevor Fisher Jnr and Jbe Kruger, and American Peter Uihlein two strokes back.

But Storm goes a further shot back for the man he expects to be crowned champion.

“Rory to win this week,” forecast the 38-year-old in an interview on www.europeantour.com.

“He hits it miles and he hits it straight.

“If I keep on his coat-tails, I’ll be happy, that’ll do me.”

Storm was displaying a mixture of modesty and realism, despite his incredible day.

He knows how quickly the world number two can tear a course to pieces and he will not want to place any pressure on himself.

After clinging on to his European Tour place following the threat of relegation, Storm told SportMail that he intended to go out to enjoy his golf and would not weigh himself down with targets.

His desire was to take life not just one tournament at a time but a round at a time.

It seems to have served him well at Glendower Golf Club, where he had a putt at his last hole, the ninth, to shoot a 62, which would have broken the course record and equalled his best-ever Tour round, at the 2013 Joburg Open in Johannesburg.

“I had a putt at the last, a long putt, to equal my best ever score,” said the Hartlepool Golf Club member who tied for fourth in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa at the start of the 2017 season.

“I got a 62 once at Joburg and it would have been nice to have matched that but I’ll take 63.

“I like coming to South Africa, there’s a nice feel about the place, the people are quite complimentary about the way you play which is great.

“That always helps and the golf course is good.

“The condition, considering the amount of rain they’ve had, is really good.”