Charl Schwartzel swiftly replaced Andy Sullivan at the top of The South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni leaderboard when the third round began.
England’s Sullivan was seeking a maiden European Tour victory and started the day with a one shot advantage after adding a 70 to his opening 66.
But he failed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the first and bogeyed, and former Masters Tournament winner Schwartzel swapped positions thanks to holing from 50 feet for birdie on the same hole.
Earlier a rollercoaster week for tournament host Ernie Els continued.
Seeking a sixth win in the event, Els was just one off the lead after an opening 67, only to slump to a second round of 77 at Glendower Golf Club which left him eight shots off the pace being set by Sullivan.
However, the four-time Major winner had not given up hope of making amends for a winless 2014 at the earliest opportunity and surged back into contention with a front nine of 31 - nine shots less than he needed for the same stretch on Friday.
Els made the ideal start with birdies on the second and third and, after a bogey on the fourth, bounced back with birdies on the fifth and seventh before an eagle on the par five eighth.
That took the 45 year old to five under par and just three behind Sullivan, but he then missed from a matter of inches for par on the 11th.
Another bogey on the 12th was followed by a birdie on the par five 13th, but a third bogey in the space of four holes on the next dropped the former World Number One back to three under.
