Charl Schwartzel held a slim advantage as the Alfred Dunhill Championship reached its closing stages in South Africa.
The home favourite came into the final round with a three-shot lead but saw that reduced to two at the turn and will have to hold off the challenge of a tight chasing pack if he is to make history on Sunday afternoon.
A win for Schwartzel would be his fourth at Leopard Creek Country Club 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 he turned in a one over par 36 to drop to 12 under, just one clear of Benjamin Hebert and two ahead of Joost Luiten.
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 Luiten were playing together and they both birdied the second to get to eight under with Thomas Linard also in that group after back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth.
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.
Grégory 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.
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.
A second double-bogey followed for Gros on the next as he tumbled back but countryman Bourdy was heading in the other direction with birdies at the fifth and sixth making it four in a row and getting him to 11 under.
He was soon joined by Hebert who made a birdie on the fifth and when Luiten got to ten under with back-to-back gains on the sixth and seventh, the pressure was on Schwartzel.
That was released a little by Bourdy as he put his second shot on the par three seventh into the water to record a triple-bogey.
Schwartzel took advantage of the driveable sixth to chip to within two feet and claim a birdie, and when Hebert failed to get up and down from a bunker on the eighth, the lead was back up to three shots.
Luiten then dropped a shot on the ninth and, while Gros was fighting back with birdies on the fifth and seventh getting him to eight under, Schwartzel once again looked comfortable at the top.
But he failed to get up and down after a poor second shot on the eighth to drop back to 12 under, just four shots clear of countryman Dean Burmester and tournament invite Tom Murray who were both three under for the day through 14 holes.
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.
He was joined in the clubhouse at seven under by Eddie Pepperell who signed for a 68 with defending champion Branden Grace, Drysdale and Linard all at that mark still out on the course.
