Struver's misfortune produced a double bogey and dropped him from a share of the lead at five-under par back to fourth place at three under leaving India's Jeev Singh and American Scott Dunlap to share second place on four-under par for the tournament. 24-year-old Hennie Otto, who returned an extraordinary, even par round of 71 that included five birdies and an eagle, finished in sole possession of fifth place.

On a day when the field averaged 74, Frost's round was especially impressive with neither the heat nor the unpredictable, gusting wind able to shake his rhythm or break his concentration. He birdied the second hole and the par-three seventh to turn in two-under par 33 but, with the firm greens making accurate approach shots more difficult as the afternoon heat increased, it was the quality of his scrambling, and par-saving, that set him apart from the field. "On the (par-five) 12th I hit a two-iron into the water but I chipped from 50 yards to two feet and made the putt for par. Then my big test was the bunker shot at the last which, if you don't mind me saying, was a great shot!" Frost joked afterwards.

The daunting, 426-metre par-four 10th (which club members play as a par-five), playing into the wind, cost Frost his only shot of the day but he struck back with further birdies at the par-three 13th and finally, with a huge putt on the 17th. "I had a vision, right from the start of the day, of the crowd sitting in the stands around the 18th green watching me winning the tournament. I knew it would be very emotional, being my home course, but I couldn't let the local support distract me. "Normally I look at the crowds to help me relax but this week I kept seeing old friends who I haven't seen for five or ten years. People were calling out to me but I just had to keep looking at my feet as I walked because I couldn't talk to everyone! I just wish I could repay all those people now and thank them for their support," Frost said.

For Struver it was another day of moving backwards. After a single hole of the third round the 29-year-old German had moved to 9-under for the tournament and enjoyed a massive five-shot lead. But he stumbled over the back nine to finish with a 73 and, having produced nine successive pars over the outward nine, he had consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th before crashing at the last to return a 74.

Only five men broke 70 on the final day, four of them from the first nine groups who all started before 9:00 a.m. when conditions were at their mildest. Defending champion Ernie Els, starting alongside Frost four shots behind Struver at two under, stumbled before he could even mount a charge with dropped shots at the third and fourth. He fought back with birdies at the fifth and 13th but, with at least two more birdies required from the last three holes, he dropped at the 16th and had to settle for a three-way share of sixth place alongside Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and American Bob May. Since winning the first of his three SA Opens in 1992, Els has not placed outside the top ten in eight consecutive national Opens.

For Frost it was SA Open victory number two after triumphing at Royal Johannesburg in 1986: "I remember chipping in at the 17th and then, with a three shot lead, taking an iron off the tee at the last. Ovies (Tony Johnstone) said to me 'come on, give us a chance, take driver!' I told him I'd already given him 71 holes to catch me, and I was going to play the 72nd the way I wanted to!" "My first memories of golf are from this course. My Dad used to sit at the bar here after I'd caddied for him then I used to go and play holes seven, eight and nine. He used to have a few beers so I got to know those holes pretty well!"