Immelman ended his round with four birdies in a row

R3 LEADERBOARD
(SA unless stated):

-20 T Immelman
-17 E Els
-15 P Sjoland (Swe)
-14 R Goosen, A Raitt (GB)
-12 L Westwood (GB), D Fichardt

Trevor Immelman leads Ernie Els by three shots after firing a superb nine-under-par 63 in the third round of the SAA Open in Port Elizabeth.

Immelman fired nine birdies to reach 20 under, while his fellow South African Els produced a solid 66.

Swede Patrick Sjoland, who led after the second round, is five off the lead while South African Retief Goosen and England's Andrew Raitt trail by seven.

Lee Westwood carded his third score of 68 and is 12 under.

Immelman and Els set the tone for a potentially thrilling final round in front of huge home galleries as they traded birdies throughout the day.

Immelman, who has won the tournament twice, made his first birdie at the 5th and quickly followed that with four more before finishing in style with four birdies in a row.

I managed to keep my focus really well and I didn't look at the scoreboard until the 18th tee Trevor Immelman

"Any time you can shoot a good round in Ernie's presence is a fantastic feeling," Immelman said.

"My ball striking was not too good on Friday and I went on the range and had a long practice session.

"For a third day in a row my putter was really good. I managed to keep my focus really well and I didn't look at the scoreboard until the 18th tee."

Els, who is looking for his first win of the year to avoid a winless season for the first time since 1991, turned in 32 but made a bogey on the par-five 11th.

He birdied the par-four 13th, fired an eagle on the par-five 15th after a stunning five-wood approach to the green and added a further birdie on the par-four 16th.

"Hats off to Trevor - 63 is a great score," he said. "I know I shot 66 but it feels like I shot 75 compared to the way Trevor played."