Luke Donald produced a brilliant nine under par second round 63 to surge into a two shot lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The former World Number One, who last tasted success on the European Tour at the BMW PGA Championship in 2012, displayed an exhibition in putting as he collected a staggering nine birdies, including six on the front nine, in a blemish free round.
The 36 year old only missed out on breaking the course record when he failed to birdie the last, but his performance was a stunning improvement on his opening round 71, which included a trio of bogeys.
Donald said: "It's been a while since I've gone really low. I've been seeing some signs of a lot of improvement in the last few weeks and some lower rounds in the mid to high 60s but obviously nine birdies around this place is a great round and something I was very pleased with.
"I felt very in control. It's been a while since I felt like that. It was nice to play a solid round."
On dodging a charging baboon at the 13th, he added: “We were walking up 13, saw one hiding in the tree, and got to my ball and suddenly Shane said, 'Watch out!'
“And I turned around and the thing is galloping towards me. I jumped out of the way. My facial expression I'm sure was caught on camera and probably on the internet already by now. It gave me a little bit of a fright as he strolled right by me.”
Overnight leader Ross Fisher slipped off the pace after failing to reach the highs of Thursday’s 66.
The Englishman suffered contrasting fortunes on the back nine, starting with an eagle and a birdie before a double bogey and another dropped shot in the space of three holes saw him record a two under par 70.
Fisher, who won his last European Tour tournament in South Africa in March, said: “I am a little bit disappointed to shoot two under. It's a tough golf course. I don't feel like I played probably as solid as yesterday. I didn't hit it as good off the tee. I still felt like I played pretty solid.”
A year to the day since Nelson Mandela passed away, with a minute’s silence observed at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City in memory of the former South Africa president, Fisher’s lead was halved before he teed off.
But it was not until the tenth that Donald, fresh from an excellent front nine, drew level before moving ahead for the first time three holes later.
A superb eagle on the 547 yard par five tenth took Fisher back to the top and, although Donald drew level on his next, the former soon regained the lead.
However, momentum changed again when Fisher found the rough from the tee and needed five shots to complete the par three 12th, before dropping another two holes later.
When asked about Donald's heroics, Fisher said: "I think any golf course anywhere, there's always a low score out there. But, you've got to go out and do it. So hats off to Luke. He obviously played fantastically well today."
Alexander Levy is two shots adrift of Fisher after the Frenchman started his back nine with three consecutive birdies, although a bogey on the last did hamper his progress.
Levy said: “I'm happy because it's not my best golf but I managed the golf course. It’s always good to play 70 on this golf course. It's a very difficult golf course. It's warm and it's difficult and you have to hit like that at the end.”
A third Englishman, Danny Willett, is five under courtesy of an immaculate second round 68.
Home favourites Charl Schwartzel and Tim Clark are level with three other players on three under while defending champion Thomas Bjørn remains way off the pace, eight shots over par.
