Thomas Aiken turned in 32 to move to 13 under and open up a one-shot lead on day three of the Nordea Masters at Hills Golf Club.
The South African started the day two shots off the lead but four birdies on the tough front nine moved him ahead of overnight leader Paul Waring.
The Englishman made a single gain on his front nine as the leading duo threatened to break away from the pack, with German Maximilian Kieffer in the clubhouse at eight under.
Scot Marc Warren was also five shots off the lead with four holes to play, a shot clear of countryman Scott Jamieson and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen
Aiken is a three-time winner on the European Tour but last tasted victory in 2014, while Waring is looking for his first win in his 200th event.
Joint overnight-leader Jamieson missed the fairway and the green on the first, failing to get up and down and surrendering a bogey to nudge Waring ahead.
Aiken then joined Jamieson at ten under as he holed a 15-footer on the second and when he got down in two from 80 feet on the par five third, he shared the lead.
Jamieson's poor start continued as he found the water on the third and Aiken and Waring led by two.
Aiken hit an excellent tee-shot into the fifth to hit the front on his own but Waring got even closer in the group behind and with Jamieson missing the green and bogeying the sixth, the lead was up to four shots.
Warren started with a bogey but birdied the second and then made four in a row from the ninth thanks to some dialled-in iron play to get within three.
He was not there for long, however, as Aiken holed a 12-footer on the eighth to get to 13 under before the 2006 champion bogeyed the 14th to slip further back.
Jamieson then made a fourth bogey of the day on the ninth to turn in 40.
Kieffer turned in 33 with birdies on the second, third, fourth and eighth and a bogey on the ninth. He made it back-to-back dropped shots on the tenth but hit back in style with birdies on the 11th and 12th.
The 28 year old dropped a shot on the 15th but regained it on the par five last to set the target.
Olesen bogeyed the first after finding sand but holed a very long putt on the fourth and when he put his tee-shot to eight feet on the par three next, he was up to seven under.
A double-bogey after finding the water on the seventh dropped him back but holed a long putt on the eighth and then hit a nice approach into the 11th to get back into red numbers for the day.
Italian Nino Bertasio and England's Robert Rock were in the clubhouse at six under, alongside Frenchman Sébastien Gros who had two holes to play and Australia's Adam Bland who had completed 12.
