MALELANE, South Africa, Dec 14, 2012 (AFP) - Following his Thai Championship victory by 11 strokes last week -- the largest margin ever on the Asian Tour -- the South African shot 10 birdies at the 6,671-metre Leopard Creek Estate.
A 21-under-par total of 195 puts him in a comfortable lead with one day to go at the second European Tour event of the 2013 season on the border of the world-famous Kruger National Park, where he won in 2005 and was runner-up four times.
But he's not there just yet.
"It is a nice comfort, and I'd rather be 10 ahead than nine ahead," said the 28-year-old. "Whatever lead you can build is great."
"We've all seen what can happen in this game. I don't want to think about it -- if all goes well I'm going to celebrate," added the 2011 Masters champion.
He birdied the second and fourth, then went on with a hat-trick from the sixth, then four in a row from the 12th, with the last one on the 18th to crown the day.
"I'm thinking well out there," he said. "I'm not hitting my driver well, but my irons are good.
"I'm placing the ball in the right spots and converting putts. I'm not flushing it, but I'm still scoring, and you can still win tournaments that way."
His achievement is all the more remarkable since he started the day tied in the lead with Gregory Bourdy.
The Frenchman bogeyed the par-four first, but seemed to recover with birdies on the second, fourth and sixth.
Things went pear-shaped from a bogey on the 10th, and he lost three more strokes to card a two-over-par 74 -- his worst in the tournament but still enough for a three-round eleven-under-par.
Hot on his heels are four-times European Tour title winner Branden Grace from South Africa, Kristoffer Broberg from Sweden and Englishman Steve Webster, who are all in a share for third on 10-under-par 206.
Leading scores after the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Saturday at the par-72, 6,671-metre Leopard Creek Country Club:
195 - Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 67-64-64
205 - Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 66-65-74
206 - Kristoffer Broberg (SWE) 70-69-67, Branden Grace (RSA) 68-71-67, Steve Webster (ENG) 67-69-70
207 - Keith Horne (RSA) 70-69-68
208 - Andy Sullivan (ENG) 73-71-64, Richard Sterne (RSA) 70-68-70, Darren Fichardt (RSA) 67-68-73
209 - John Parry (ENG) 72-70-67, Danie van Tonder (RSA) 72-70-67, David Drysdale (SCO) 69-72-68, Matteo Delpodio (ITA) 72-68-69, Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 69-71-69, Oscar Floren (SWE) 69-70-70, Garth Mulroy (RSA) 71-68-70, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 70-68-71, Tyrone van Aswegen (RSA) 70-68-71, Maximilian Kieffer (GER) 68-69-72, Louis de Jager (RSA) 67-69-73
210 - Thomas Aiken (RSA) 70-73-67, Danny Willett (ENG) 70-73-67, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 71-71-68, Doug McGuigan (RSA) 71-71-68, Peter Lawrie (IRL) 70-71-69
211 - Vaughn Groenewald (RSA) 72-70-69, Alejandro Canizares (ESP) 70-72-69, Bjorn Akesson (SWE) 71-70-70, Tjaart van der Walt (RSA) 72-68-71, Richard Bland (ENG) 67-73-71, Anton Haig (RSA) 73-66-72
212 - Justin Walters (RSA) 73-71-68, Gary Lockerbie (ENG) 73-70-69, Michael Jonzon (SWE) 74-67-71, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 73-67-72, JB Hansen (DEN) 70-70-72, Magnus A Carlsson (SWE) 71-69-72, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 69-69-74