Charl Schwartzel got his final round off to a rocky start as he attempted to make history at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
A win for Schwartzel would be his fourth at this tournament and make him just the third South African to win ten European Tour events behind Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
At 31 he would also become the youngest South African to ten European Tour victories, eclipsing Els who was a year older when he got into double figures at the 2002 Dubai Desert Classic.
But a dropped shot on the third moved him to 12 under and reduced his lead to two shots over the French duo of Grégory Bourdy and Benjamin Hebert.
Schwartzel had spoken of discomfort with his long game on Saturday but all looked in good order on the first with a solid drive and approach to six feet, although he could not make the birdie putt.
David Drysdale and Joost Luiten were playing together and they both birdied the second to get to eight under alongside tournament invite Tom Murray who had three birdies in his first six holes.
The leader was on the green in three at the par five second after sending his drive a little left but his tentative birdie putt did not drop and his advantage stayed at three shots.
Bourdy picked up shots on the third and fourth to get to nine under while fellow Frenchmen Hebert and Sébastien Gros were a shot ahead after starting with pars on the first and second.
A third Frenchman, Thomas Linard, birdied the sixth after driving the green to get to eight under as Murray and Dylan Frittelli dropped out of that group with bogeys.
Schwartzel sent his drive on the third a long way right and had to play out, dropping a shot in the process, while playing partner Gros made a double-bogey to drop to eight under.
Bourdy then made it three birdies in a row on the par three fifth to join Hebert at ten under.
Jaco Van Zyl had set the clubhouse target at seven under in the morning after a brilliant closing round of 64. The 36 year old has 13 Sunshine Tour wins and was only denied a first European Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open courtesy of a birdie-birdie finish from Victor Dubuisson.
He did not find his rhythm over the first two days here with rounds of 71-72-74 but made nine birdies to a single bogey on Sunday to post the early marker.
Pablo Martin and Darren Fichardt were both four under for the day to sit at seven under on the back nine alongside Frittelli, Murray and Lasse Jensen.
