Chris Paisley continued his rich vein of form in South Africa to lead by three shots after 13 holes at the third round of the BMW SA Open Championship Proudly hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni at Glendower Golf Club.
Paisley and France's Adrien Saddier set a halfway target of 13 under par following impressive second round displays, but it was the Englishman who took control with a two under front nine.
The World Number 289 managed to rescue an opening par after finding the bunker with his second shot before he had a long eagle chance at the par five second.
Paisley lipped out from the fringe and had to settle for a birdie as he extended the lead to 14 under.
Saddier did not drop a shot in his first two rounds and continued his flawless form after three holes with a par-birdie-par start.
The Frenchman bogeyed for the first in the tournament at the fourth before regaining the stroke at the par five eighth with a birdie, only to drop a stroke at the ninth to lie 13 under at the turn.
Paisley maintained his one-shot advantage when he was forced to make another great par save at the seventh, but he scored his second gain at the eighth and when the his French playing partner dropped a shot at the ninth, he was two strokes clear on 15 under.
Another bogey followed at the tenth for Saddier to drift further behind as Paisley parred the first four holes of the back nine.
South African Jacques Blaauw joined Saddier at 12 under following a third round 66 after carding seven birdies, three bogeys and a fantastic chip-in eagle from the bunker at the par four 12th to give fans hope of a home winner.
Fellow South African Darren Fichardt produced the round of the day to sit on 11 under following an eight-under par 64, which contained nine birdies and one dropped shot with compatriot Branden Grace also at that mark after 14 holes.
Jacques Kruyswijk endured a colourful round of one eagle, three birdies and four bogeys to sit alongside Trevor Fisher Jr. one shot further adrift alongside Dane Jeff Winther and American Chase Koepka.
Player host Ernie Els finished the day on five under for the tournament as fellow South African JC Ritchie shot a seven-under par 65 to move to nine-under for the tournament and was joined by compatriot amateur Kyle McClatchie, Englishman Richard Bland, Spain's Jorge Campillo, Italian Renato Paratore and France's Matthieu Pavon.
