George Coetzee eagled the final hole of his second round at the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Pretoria Country Club to establish a two stroke lead.
A seven under par 65 around his home track put him eight under, with Jean Hugo his closest pursuer ahead of the final round.
Having started on the tenth, Coetzee was made to wait until the 18th for his first birdie, but then reeled off five in succession from the second to the sixth.
"After the third birdie, my playing partners congratulated me," he said, "and I told them that it was not the end of it as I was still going.
"I was just unhappy that I broke the string with a bogey on seven, but I can't complain about the round," he added.
A further two strokes behind Coetzee on four under par are Attie Schwartzel, PG van Zyl, Adilson Da Silva and Jbe' Kruger.
Coetzee's round was a welcome boost for his confidence as he prepares to attempt to qualify for the US Open and The Open Championship.
