Joost Luiten said he feels a return to the winner's circle for the first time since 2018 could be close after shooting a sensational 65 to make a big move on day three of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player.
Luiten has six DP World Tour titles to his name but has not tasted victory at this level since February 2018, when he won the NBO Oman Open.
The Dutchman has gone very close in recent years, finishing second at the 2023 BMW International Open and impressing on the Tour's two visits to India in 2025.
And after making eight birdies - including four in a row from the 12th - and a single bogey on day three to jump to eight under par, Luiten said he hopes his next win is not too far away.
He said: "Yeah, I feel I'm close. I came close a couple of years back in Munich.
"I still felt like I should have won there. But, you know, that's golf sometimes. I need to be patient, I need to play my game. And then hopefully there's one week where everything comes together and you win.
"But it's tough to really press too much on that. So I just try to play my game. And if it happens this year, that would be great. And that's what I'm hoping for and what I'm maybe expecting a little bit."
The 39-year-old was pleased with his day's work at Gary Player Country Club but with Kristoffer Reitan storming clear at the summit on Saturday, Luiten's chances of ending his winless run this week are slim.
He added: "Yeah, good day. I had a good start, five under after six, you know, that's what I was hoping for.
"I tried to be aggressive where I could. I hit some really nice iron shots and rolled in some nice putts in the beginning.
"And I tried to keep going and tried to keep building the momentum, which I could until the little bogey on the fourth hole. But that was the only mistake I made, so I'm pretty happy."
