You can't keep a good man down. Not that Branden Grace had to dust himself down from the ashes here yesterday.
Grace showed why he is the bookies' favourite when he played himself back into contention in the third round of the SA Open.
Grace, who was joint leader after the first round, produced an underwhelming 71 in the second as he lost ground on Friday, but yesterday he was back in the groove as he compiled an impressive six-under 66. His 14-under par total left him one shot behind England's Chris Paisley, who fashioned a steady round of 70.
Grace, who sagely said: "My bad round was still under par" on Friday, had hoped to be in a position to launch a challenge on day three.
He did that, breathing heavily down Paisley's neck as the shadows lengthened here yesterday. The only blemish on Grace's card came on the par-four ninth.
France's Adrien Saddier, who also held a share of the lead after the second round, fell back after his round of 73, which left him three shots off the pace along with American Chase Koepka and South Africa's Jacques Blaauw.
Armed with a new driver and having rid himself of the late December rust, South Africa's Darren Fichardt proved the biggest mover of the day. He proved particularly productive on the back nine en route to an eight-under-par 64.
He is four shots off the pace and yesterday lamented missed opportunities in the first two rounds.
"I counted with my caddie after the second round that I threw away six shots that I never would have done if I was midway through the season.
"I have been hitting it well on the range but poorly in the first two rounds. My caddie just said: 'Don't over-exaggerate. Just aim a little left, not far left'."..