Rory McIlroy admitted he needed to dig deep to register a third consecutive 67 and get within one shot of the lead heading into the final round of the Turkish Airlines Open.
The Race to Dubai leader was level par for his round when he dropped a shot on the tenth but he then came to life, picking up four strokes in his next four holes with the help of a brilliant eagle on the 13th.
The four-time Major winner then picked up another birdie on the last to get within a shot of Victor Dubuisson and Jaco Van Zyl and revealed that Saturday's effort was the most satisfying round of the week so far.
"I needed to play well coming in here for this 67," he said. "I got off to a bit of a slow start, I don't know why, I just felt very lethargic out there today, I couldn't really get any energy.
"To finish the way I did was very pleasing and I'd say this was the best of them just because I didn't get off to a great start and I needed to dig in deep and finish the round off well, which I did.
"The bogey on ten was good to turn frustration into motivation and to play well those next few holes. Definitely the eagle on 13 was the spark that I needed to get myself up the leaderboard.
"I feel if I play the same way and execute a little bit better, there's definitely a lower score out there for me. The three 67s that I've shot this week, I feel like I've played very much within myself.
So if I can get something going and get some momentum out there tomorrow, no reason why I can't go lower than that - Rory McIlroy
While McIlroy made a birdie on the last, Kiradech Aphibarnrat dropped his only shot of the day to drop into a share of second at 15 under with the Northern Irishman.
The Thai is searching for his third title of the season after wins at the Shenzhen International and Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play and inisists he will not change his game plan with the World Number Three in contention.
"I'll just try to play my game," he said. "A lot of top players are coming up, Rory is coming up.
"I'll just play my game, try to hole some putts and concentrate.
"I've been playing quite well the last couple months and through this week, especially with my putting. I've been rolling it well all week.
"Today I made a good start with birdies on the first two holes and a lot of good shots. The chip-in on eight was great, but I struggled a bit in the middle and unfortunately bogeyed the last.
"At the moment that mistake is in my head, but I had to go for it - that's my game."
Byeong-hun An carded a low round of the day 65 to get to 13 under as he made nine birdies and two bogeys on his way round The Montgomerie Maxx Royal.
The BMW PGA Championship winner is a contender for the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award and is enjoying his first taste of The Final Series.
"Because we don't have to worry about the cut and everything, we can try to be aggressive with every shot," he said. "We've still got to play smart but I think being a little bit more aggressive.
"I played great all day. I never thought about the score and in the end I made nine birdies and two bogeys but those two bogeys weren't very easy.
"I'm quite happy with the round overall. It's good."
Chris Wood sits alongside An after a 71 containing two birdies and a bogey and he admitted he struggled to find his rhythm playing alongside Van Zyl and Richard Bland in the final group.
"I only made two birdies and then parred every hole on the back nine which isn't what I was after so hopefully I'll make a few more birdies tomorrow," he said.
"I'm quite happy to just finish and regroup.
"After three rounds, if you're not leading, you'll be happy to be within three.
"Obviously someone like Rory made his little move today, so it's all to play for tomorrow."
