A birdie on the final hole of the third round gave Sergio Garcia the lead at the Sun City Golf Challenge in South Africa this afternoon.
The 23-year-old Spaniard rapped in a 20-foot putt to move to 12-under 204 with a two-under par round of 70. He now holds a one-stroke lead over South Africa's Retief Goosen, which put him in pole position for the $1.2 million first prize and his first win of the season.
Overnight leader Kenny Perry faltered on the back nine and recorded four bogies coming in for a round of 73 to drop back to 10 under par.
Goosen returned the low round on a sweltering day with a four-under 68 as temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius.
"I've been really tired and very sick over the last two weeks," Goosen said. "I've been really drained and I wasn't really up for this tournament, but I've managed to take it easy."
Garcia started slowly and turned in one-over 37 before making birdie on the par-five 10th. On the par-five 14th he chose to lay-up and hit a wedge to six feet (1.829 metres) for his second birdie.
"It was a difficult day, the course was playing very tough and the pins were really difficult so I'm really pleased with 70 and being up there in the lead," Garcia said. "I just need to go out there tomorrow and have a good round."
Perry, who hit 93 percent of fairways in regulation during the first two rounds, dropped to 54 percent and it showed in his scoring. But despite missing the fairways on the first three holes he somehow managed to birdie the second from 10 feet and the par-four third, after playing a magnificent iron out of a fairway bunker to seven feet.
The wheels came off on the back nine as the Kentucky native recorded four bogeys in six holes and a solitary birdie on the par-four 17th.
"The first two rounds I was on holiday, today it was work," Perry said. "I didn't play very well today, to tell you the truth.
"I hadn't missed a fairway in the first two rounds and I missed the first three today. I was struggling all day -- even when I did hit the good shots I couldn't get the putts to drop."
Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke had a frustrating day with a two-over 74 to drop back to five-under par 211, while Ernie Els the defending champion was out of contention at five-over par 221.
Padraig Harrington, the third European in the 18-man field, also carded a 74 and is making up the numbers at this stage at level par for the tournament.