Hurley just outside the top-10 and eight off the lead

The South African, who started the day with a one-shot cushion, signed for a second successive five under par round of 67 to reach 16 under par for the week and remain one shot in front, with Spaniard Santiago Tarrio occupying solo second.

Gary Hurley has plenty to play for on the final day. The 33-year-old is in a share of 11th place on eight-under after a 70 which leaves him eight shots off the pace but he has both the top-10 and top-5 in his sights.

Hurley breezed through round three with birdies on the 5th, 7th and 12th holes before his only blemish came when he bogeyed the 17th.

Liam Nolan birdied his last two holes to also card a 70 which leaves him just inside the top-30 on six-under. The Galway man was four under after seven holes but made three bogeys in a row from the 9th and dropped another shot on 15 before his big finish.

Conor Purcell fell back to three-under after a 74.

Fisher Jnr, who recorded his last win more than ten years ago with victory in the Africa Open on the DP World Tour in 2015, is now in pole position to add to his resume in the Mother City.

“It’s been a long time,” he said. “I haven’t been in this position for a while. It’s been ten years since my last win.

“I’ve got that same sort of feeling, being very chilled and very casual. I’ll do my best tomorrow and if it works out, it’ll be nice.

“This game isn’t an easy game. There are a lot of challenges and I think most pros overthink the game, which I do, 100 percent. You’ve just got to find a way to put a score on the board.

“It’s worked so far and I’ll try and put another one in tomorrow.”

Fisher Jnr extended his lead early on day three by holing a 30-foot birdie putt at the second hole, before adding a second gain of the day at the seventh.

The 46-year-old then chipped in for eagle at the par four 12th, and added a final birdie of the day at the 16th to make sure of his place at the top of the leaderboard heading into round four.

Fisher Jnr was pleased with how he managed leading from the front, and says he will need to do the same tomorrow with the wind expected to pick up at Royal Cape.

“It was solid and felt decent,” he added. “When I was in trouble, I managed to sneak away with a par which was good to keep the momentum.

“The putter worked nicely today and I felt quite relaxed. I wasn’t phased if I hit didn’t hit it right.

“The eagle on 12 was lovely. A little chip in is always good. It was lying a bit iffy, and it just came out perfectly.

“Course management is a big one for tomorrow. You’ll need to pick landing spots. If you can leave yourself in the right spots, that’ll be the key.”

Spaniard Pablo Ereno is four shots off the lead in third place on 12 under par, with Finn Tapio Pulkkanen and Englishman Will Enefer one shot further back in a share of fourth.

Hennie Otto from South Africa is sixth on ten under par, and countrymen Pieter Moolman and Louis Albertse share seventh alongside Frenchman Julien Quesne and American Canon Claycomb.

The final round of the CIRCA Cape Town Open gets under way on Sunday at 6:35am, with Fisher Jnr teeing off alongside Tarrio at 11:52am.