Former South African amateur champion Jean Hugo took the third-round lead in the South African Open today with a seven-under-par 65.
Hugo, 27, who lost his European tour card at the end of last season, leads Briton Phil Golding and compatriot Tim Clark by one stroke with a 12-under 204.
He started with a bogey on the par-four first but then carded nine birdies and another bogey to set up an interesting last day.
Clark, the second round leader and defending champion, recorded a calamitous quadruple bogey nine on the par-five 16th, collapsing from a three-shot lead to a two-shot deficit before pulling a shot back with a birdie on the 18th.
On the 16th fairway and leading by three strokes at 14-under, Clark went through the green with his second and had a 25-foot chip for an eagle. He mishit his first chip, his third shot, and could only watch as the ball rolled further away from the hole.
His fourth shot hardly moved the ball and his fifth was nearly an air shot as the club continued to slide under the ball on a fluffy lie. Clark still refused to change clubs and somehow left his sixth at his feet before finally over-hitting his seventh shot 10 feet past the hole.
He missed the putt coming back and stormed away from the green to face the 17th, the toughest hole on the course.
Clark managed to walk away from there with a par-four and a birdie at 18 went a little way to repairing the damage.
"I was playing really well to that point and hit a good second in," he said. "I knew it was a tough chip but I tried to get too cute with it and loft it up.
"Even though the ball was sitting up with that grass which is spongy the club just kept on going underneath. It was unfortunate and I'm disappointed.
"But but there are still 18 holes to play tomorrow and I'm only one back."
Hugo, who led after the first round with a 66, came back well after shooting a one-over 73 in the second round.
"I had no idea what was going on with Tim at the 16th but I couldn't care what he was shooting, I'll worry about that tomorrow," Hugo said. "I think anybody can win, even guys who are five shots off the lead, it just depends on things like the wind and when you are teeing off.
"There are holes on the course that you can lose it on so it's wide open. Today I made a couple of good putts and holed a bunker shot for birdie on the second and sank a chip on 12 so I had some luck today.
"I'm looking forward to playing the final round as leader and I'm not going to change my mindset. The key is to be patient out there because there are some holes you can attack and some you can't."
Golding became one of three players to set the course record of 64, achieving it in the unlikeliest way when he sank his second on the par-four 18th for an eagle two.
"I was in a divot at the last and had to play a punchy nine iron from 146 yards," Golding said. "It was a nice way to finish because I knocked it out of bounds on 17 with my tee shot and made a birdie with my second ball to drop just one shot. It was an eventful day."
The Irish contingency is led by Gary Murphy who's solid round of 71 keeps him in the running on seven under par, five ahead of Peter Lawrie who slipped down the board after a disappointing 77.
Round of the day however goes to Scandinavian Masters winner Graeme McDowell, who's 67 saw him climb back into contention for a respectable finish, on three under.