Louis Oosthuizen turned in 33 top open up a one-shot lead as the seventh Rolex Series event of the season was set for a dramatic finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player.
A two-shot swing on the 18th on Saturday meant the local favourite was just two shots behind long-time leader Sergio Garcia and after nine holes of the final round, he had got his nose in front at 11 under.
Lee Westwood was alongside Spaniard Garcia at ten under, and one clear of his fellow Englishman Ross Fisher.
Belgian Thomas Detry was then at eight under, one ahead of South African Dean Burmester, Finn Mikko Korhonen and China's Li Haotong.
Oosthuizen has a previous win at Gary Player Country Club in the Dimension Data Pro-Am and is looking for his ninth European Tour win.
Garcia and Westwood have both won this event twice before it joined the European Tour International Schedule, with the 45 year old claiming a third win in Sun City on the Sunshine Tour.
It was all change very early as Garcia found the sand with his second shot on the first and failed to get up and down.
That cut his lead to one and the advantage was soon gone when Westwood hit a stunning second to four feet on the par-five second for an eagle and a share.
Garcia failed to get up and down from a bunker again on the second but still made par on the long hole, while a nice chip from over the back by Detry helped him to eight under.
Oosthuizen was a good way from the hole on third green but his putt took a huge left-to-right break right at the last minute and there was a three-way tie for the lead.
The 2010 Open Champion then broke out of the pack with an 18-footer on the fifth but Garcia hit straight back, almost holing his second on the sixth from the fairway and tapping in for birdie.
Fisher had birdied the second despite a poor tee-shot forcing him to lay up and he holed a long putt on the seventh to move alongside Detry.
Oosthuizen was putting like a dream and a 20-footer on the seventh edged him into the solo lead but Detry made a birdie putt of his own from slightly less distance to keep right in touch.
Westwood had got up and down from a bunker to save par on the seventh and ahead on the eighth he hit a stunner to eight feet at the tucked pin and moved into double-figures.
There was then a surprise on the eighth as Oosthuizen three-putted for a bogey but he got on the green at the par five next and was back ahead on his own.
Fisher - who dropped eight shots in his final holes on Friday - birdied the par-five tenth to get to nine under, one ahead of Detry who played a sensational recovery on the eighth but could not make his par putt.
Li needs a win this week to keep his Race to Dubai hopes alive and he made five birdies and an eagle in his first 16 holes.
Burmester was four under through 11 and Korhonen was level par after ten to sit a shot ahead of Chris Paisley and Matt Wallace.
