Louis chases Open No.2 - Scots rookies stay in the hunt just five shots off lead

• Chasing pack: Elliot Saltman is back in the hunt after rallying on the back nine at the Africa Open. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty

O'Hara, who held on to his European Tour card last year after finishing 113th on the order of merit, continued his climb up the leaderboard with a tidy five-under 68 which was boosted by four birdies over his last ten holes.

European Tour rookie Saltman, sitting seventh at the start of the day, slithered down the field with a three-over outward half but rallied on the back-nine with two birdies and an eagle which helped him salvage a level-par 73.

Saltman's younger brother Lloyd had a 72 for 216 while Alastair Forsyth and Marc Warren also hit one-under rounds to finish on a 218 tally.

Oosthuizen shares the lead with Brier after a four-under-par round of 69 handed him a 13-under total.

The South African recorded four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys - the second of which frustratingly came on the last - to sit alongside Austrian Brier, who managed a 70 yesterday, on a tournament total 206.

The pair are a shot clear of a quartet of players on 12 under.

They are Manuel Quiros (68), defending champion Charl Schwartzel (68) as well as South Africans Jaco van Zyl (70) and Jbe' Kruger (67).

Promising young Englishman Chris Wood also carded a six-under 67 in the third round, an effort that saw him climb to 11 under, alongside Branden Grace (72) and fellow countrymen Ross McGowan (71) and Miles Tunnicliff (72).

Bristol golfer Wood, who shot to fame in 2008 when he was the top amateur at the Open held at Royal Birkdale where he finished fifth, had a wretched start with a bogey.

But the 23-year-old was back level on his next hole before adding four further birdies and an eagle.