The house where Trevor Immelman grew up is a five-minute drive from the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa.

A brash Portuguese king from the late 15th century named the property after one of his explorers was the first to sail around it since ancient times.

Hope is what Immelman has given his homeland of South Africa. Hope is what he has entering today's final round of the Masters Tournament. Hope is 18 steady holes away from blossoming into history.

Five months after he survived a cancer scare, Immelman must survive the most daunting task in golf: Protect a Sunday lead at the Masters Tournament.

"All I can do is play as hard as I can and believe in myself and hope for the best," the 28-year-old said after shooting 3-under 69 Saturday and moving to 11-under for the tournament. "I've dreamt of being in this position since I was a kid."

For the past three days, Immelman has tiptoed around the peril that lurks throughout golf's most storied landscape. He's hit 38 of 42 fairways, which is tops in driving accuracy. He's hit 41 marble-smooth greens and hasn't made many glaring mistakes when he's reached them. His closest call came with his approach shot Saturday at No. 15. His wedge shot yo-yoed off the green and trickled to a precarious stop on the slope in front of the pond. He chipped up and made par.

If Immelman withstands charges today, we'll remember that snippet of fortune. We'll remember it as his flashpoint of fate.

"I really couldn't believe it when it stayed up," he said.

Immelman won't just be fighting off the rest of the field to win this major. He'll also be fighting a recent trend that's seen South Africans finish runner-up or tied for second in five of the past eight Masters. Each man had legitimate chances to win green jackets, most notably Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Each finished second.

That's part of Immelman's burden. To wash away South Africa's anguish at Augusta National Golf Club. To end a South African drought at the Masters that began in 1978, the year before Immelman was born.

"There's been a few (South Africans) who've had a shot," Immelman said. "I consider myself fortunate to be in this position."

The golf course didn't always tease South Africans like it has since 2000. The nation's most accomplished golfer, Gary Player, won three times here.

A recent breakthrough, though, hasn't materialized. Rory Sabbatini's hot streak was too late in 2007. Tim Clark's chance vanished in 2006. Els was left shattered at the practice green in 2004 when Phil Mickelson's 18-footer dropped.

Immelman wants to avoid Els' misery. He wants to be a closer, not a fader. He wants to live up to the accolades heaped on him by his hero, Player, who compared his swing Friday to the swing of the late Ben Hogan.

Immelman's strong finish to his third round has given him that chance. It's given him bearing and hope.

Now, it's up to him to make the final navigation.