Marcus Armitage fired a stunning 62 to set the clubhouse target at a testing 14 under on day three of the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg.
The Englishman clearly has a taste for the Firethorn Course having carded a bogey free 65 on day one and while he dropped a single shot on the last on day three, he combined it with two eagles and six birdies.
Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen was on course at 12 under alongside fellow South Africans Jaco Ahlers and Thriston Lawrence.
Armitage regained his card at the Qualifying School having first made his way onto the European Tour via the European Challenge Tour in 2016 as he won the Foshan Open.
His effort on Moving Day at Randpark Golf Club was a remarkable 21 shots better than his closing 83 at last month's Alfred Dunhill Championship and would have been a course record had preferred lies not been in place.
Armitage birdied the second and holed his second shot with a wedge at the par four third before putting an approach to six feet at the sixth for another gain.
A very long putt at the seventh put him into double figures and when a birdie at the ninth saw him turn in 29, he had a share of the lead.
He hit the front on his own with a birdie on the par five 12th and a putt from the fringe on the 14th handed him a second eagle of the day and a three shot lead.
His tee shot at the par three 17th left him 15 feet for a sixth birdie of the day and the lead was four shots.
His second found a treacherous position on the last and while he was in the sand with his third, he got up and down to keep the damage to one shot.
Oosthuizen was in a share of second as he holed a 15 footer on the second, made another birdie on the third, and completed his hat-trick with the help of a nice chip on the fourth.
A seven foot putt on the ninth then saw him turn in 31.
Ahlers holed a long putt on the fourth and a 15 footer on the sixth, while playing partner Lawrence recovered from a bogey on the second with gains on the third, fourth and sixth.
Tapio Pulkkanen and Martin Rohwer were at 11 under, a shot clear of Marc Warren, who was in the clubhouse after a 65.
