Louis Oosthuizen finished like a champion with three birdies in the final four holes to retain a share of the lead at the Africa Open.

On a day of impressive plunder in East London Oosthuizen’s six-under 67 left him deep in the red on 21-under-par. Yet with four to play he had slipped two behind joint-leader Tjaart van der Walt. Successive birdies at 15, where he ripped a driver off the deck to be greenside in two, and the 318-yard par four 16, where he drove through the green, closed the gap.

The defending champion still required a birdie at the last to finish alongside Van der Walt in pole position for the final round. He did not disappoint.  

In near perfect conditions on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, Tyrone Ferreira led the ISM peleton in pursuit of Oosthuizen with a 69 to close on -14. European Tour rookie Matthew Baldwin shot 70 to finish -13.

Last season’s Sunshine Tour rookie of the year, Allan Versfeld is on -12 after a tidy 68. America’s Scott Pinckney, another European Tour rookie, shot 67 to finish on -11 alongside George Coetzee. James Kingston, Branden Grace, David Howell and Chris Wood, returning after a three-month absence through injury, are one further back on -10. Matthew Nixon starts the final day on -4.

At the Victorian Open in Melbourne Scott Arnold shares a three-shot lead on -9 after a third-round 67.