Four consecutive birdies took Thaworn Wiratchant to the top of the Avantha Masters leaderboard as the third round unfolded at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The 44 year old Thai golfer recorded his only European Tour win seven years ago in Indonesia, but a quartet of gains from the sixth saw him race into the lead at ten under par.
A three-and-a-half hour fog delay on the opening day meant the second round was still to be completed on day three, but the players were frustrated for 90 minutes by more fog in the morning.
Once 36 holes were completed, it was home favourite Jeev Milkha Singh who had hit the front after playing his last seven holes in two under par.
But while he was one over after six holes of his third round, Wiratchant surged ahead, boosted by a 50 foot putt at the par three eighth.
Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal and Argentina’s Rafa Echenique were both four under after 11 holes of their third round to share second on nine under par.
But on a congested leaderboard, Singh, his compatriots Sujian Singh and SSP Chowrasia, Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Angelo Que of The Philippines, England’s Robert Coles and Dane Mark F Haastrup were all well placed on eight under.
Wiratchant stretched his run to five at the tenth, but then came back down to earth with three dropped shots in two holes.
Jeev Milkha Singh’s tee shot to within five feet at the eighth led to a birdie and when he gained another shot at the par five ninth he and Echenique led on ten under.
They were joined by Chowrasia, who sank a 15 footer at the 11th before a hattrick of birdies from the 14th to boost hopes of a home winner.
