Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel will take a commanding lead into the final round of the South African Open and admits victory in his native Johannesburg would be like winning a second major.
Schwartzel birdied the first four holes on his way to a third round of 66 to finish 13 under par, five strokes ahead of England's Matt Fitzpatrick and Scotland's David Drysdale. England's Lee Slattery is a shot further back after posting the lowest round of the week with a 65, while halfway leader Andy Sullivan was one of eight players on six under after struggling to a 74.
Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin moved to three under with a round of 69.
“I don’t think you can ask for a much better start, with a bunched leaderboard it’s one way to get yourself separated from the field,” said Schwartzel, who also led after 54 holes last year but finished fourth after a closing 71 at Glendower Golf Club.
“I hit some really good shots but had quite a mixed bag with some really great shots and great saves, but some bad shots that maybe had some good breaks.”
Schwartzel dropped his first shot of the day on the seventh but bounced back with birdies on the next two holes to be out in 31, while two three-putts on the par fives on the back nine — one for bogey, the other for par — meant he had to settle for an inward half of 35.
Asked about the importance of winning his national open for the first time, Schwartzel added on Sky Sports 4: "In the big world people look at the majors but coming from South Africa this is pretty much a major for South Africans. It will be nice to go out and keep swinging the way I am tomorrow."
Schwartzel began the day one shot behind Sullivan, but the pair experienced an amazing eight-shot swing in the first four holes. World number 31 Schwartzel holed from 50 feet across the first green for birdie, from six feet on the second and 20 feet on the third before his approach to the fourth almost pitched straight into the hole and finished inches away.
That contrasted starkly with playing partner Sullivan’s opening stretch, with the 27-year-old from Nuneaton failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the first before finding water with his second shot to the next. Another bogey followed after missing the third green and, even when he found the middle of the fairway on the fourth, Sullivan’s luck was firmly out as his ball finished in an old divot and led to a fourth straight bogey.
The former Walker Cup player stopped the rot with a birdie on the fifth and although a bogey on the ninth took him out in 40, he covered the back nine in 34 to keep his hopes of a first European Tour title alive.
