Home favourite Darren Fichardt made a blistering start to join a three-way tie for the lead on day three of the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
The five-time European Tour winner entered the day at Leopard Creek Country Club three shots behind David Lipsky but three birdies in his first four holes edged him to eight under alongside the American and Scotland's Scott Jamieson.
Zander Lombard was then at seven under, a shot clear of eight players including clubhouse leader Christiaan Bezuidenhout and defending champion Brandon Stone.
Robert MacIntyre briefly made it five Scots in the top six with birdies on the second, fourth and sixth moving him within two of the lead.
Back-to-back double-bogeys sent him tumbling down the leaderboard and Drysdale dropped a shot on the first, being replaced at six under by playing partner Fichardt who made a birdie.
Doug McGuigan put his approach on the first to tap-in range and a tenth consecutive one-putt moved him one behind Lipsky, who missed a golden opportunity to extend his lead at the same hole.
Fichardt made it a birdie-birdie start on the par-five second to get within one but Marc Warren got in serious tee trouble on the same hole with a double-bogey to slip three off the lead.
Lipsky also got in trouble off the tee on the second and after taking a drop and topping his fourth, he did incredibly well to just drop a single shot.
Playing partner Jamieson took full advantage, however, getting on the green and two and hitting a lovely lag putt to secure a birdie and the lead.
Ahead on the third, McGuigan found sand with his second, left his third in the bunker and three-putted for a triple-bogey.
Fichardt was enjoying a flying start and he put his approach on the fourth to six feet for another birdie and a share of top spot.
Qualifying School co-winner Lombard birdied the fourth and then hit wonderful tee-shots into the par-three fifth and seventh to move to seven under.
Lipsky bounced back in style on the third with an approach to three feet and he was back in a three-way tie for the lead.
Bezuidenhout signed for a 66 to set the target and he had Stone, Drysdale, Raphaël Jacquelin, Pablo Larrazábal, Adilson da Silva, Sean Crocker and Ben Evans for company two back.
