Tough conditions over The Links at Fancourt led to high scoring as Brendan Grace tried to defend a four shot lead at the Volvo Golf Champions.
The wind was blowing strongly by the time Grace teed off and although he bogeyed the first after driving into a bunker it was not a bad effort compared to his closest overnight challengers.
Thomas Aiken took six and Lee Slattery a triple-bogey seven, losing his first ball in the bushes on the left and then three-putting.
Into second place came Retief Goosen, a birdie on the second putting him seven under and four back.
Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal, seven under and fourth at halfway, had to take a penalty drop after also finding the bushes on the first, but a pitch to three feet salvaged a bogey five and he was actually up to joint third.
