Henrik Stenson continued to battle the odds as he claimed a two-shot lead midway through the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The World Number Seven spent three days in bed with a virus this week before deciding to tee it up in Sun City, taking a one-shot lead into day three after rounds of 66-67.
Some clutch putting helped him get to 13 under after ten holes on Saturday at Gary Player Country Club, with Jaco Van Zyl, Marc Leishman and Robert Streb leading the chasing pack two shots back.
Leishman made a gain on the first with the pin once again gettable, and Van Zyl also took advantage with a tap-in birdie to join Stenson at the top as the Swede needed two putts from distance to make his par.
Stenson's slightly ragged start continued at the next as he played an air shot at the edge of the green but managed to make par while Van Zyl found the heart of the green and two putts gave him a second birdie and the lead.
Streb had left himself some work to do over a bunker with his third but he hit the pin with his pitch and made a birdie to get to ten under.
Leishman joined him with a birdie on the fifth and all three of the final group then parred the third and fourth as the top four pulled away from the rest of the field.
It was all change at the top on the fifth as Van Zyl found a bunker and proceeded to drop just his second shot of the week while Stenson made a first birdie of the day to move back ahead by one.
Streb dropped a shot at the sixth with Stenson producing an excellent up-and-down from the sand to keep his nose in front.
A hot putter carried Stenson to a back nine of 31 in the second round and that continued as he made another clutch putt on the seventh to hold par while Van Zyl dropped a shot to extend the lead to two.
The leader then failed to get up and down from a bunker on the eighth as the lead went back down to one and Leishman found the trees off the tee ahead on the ninth but saved his par to turn in 34.
Stenson then made a fortunate birdie on the ninth after just staying out of the water with his second and seeing his putt drop right at the last second, with Van Zyl and Streb following him in for gains of their own.
Meanwhile, ahead on the tenth, Leishman played a brilliant second shot to the par five and holed the eagle putt to move to the top of the leaderboard.
But Stenson and Streb both also birdied the tenth and when Leishman dropped a shot on the 11th, the leader had some breathing space at the top.
Bernd Wiesberger was at six under after 11 holes thanks to five birdies and two bogeys with five players in a tie for sixth at five under.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat had an eagle, a birdie, two bogeys and a double on his card through ten while Ross Fisher had an eagle on the tenth to sit alongside him. South African duo Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace were also five under along with Thongchai Jaidee.
Four birdies in five holes from the 11th helped Matthew Fitzpatrick get to six under for the day, four under for the week, alongside Victor Dubuisson, Andy Sullivan and Danny Willett.
