Steven Brown fired a brilliant 63 to set the clubhouse target and take a two-shot lead on day three of the Made in Denmark.
The Englishman began the day seven shots off the lead at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club but the lowest round of his European Tour career moved him to 15 under ahead of countrymen Jonathan Thomson, Matt Wallace and Lee Westwood, and Belgian Thomas Detry.
Overnight leader Christiaan Bezuidenhout was then three shots off the lead after turning in 37.
In the quest to make the Ryder Cup Team, Thorbjørn Olesen came into the week knowing a two-way tie for seventh or better would guarantee his place at Le Golf National, with Matthew Fitzpatrick needing a victory and hoping that Olesen stumbles.
The Dane carded a 67 to surge up the leaderboard but Fitzpatrick went one better to sit three shots ahead of Olesen and five off the lead.
Challenge Tour graduate Brown has one top ten at the Rocco Forte Sicilian Open in his rookie campaign and is looking for a good finish to the season to keep his card at 136th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
The 31 year old turned in 30 after birdies on the first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth.
An eagle on the 11th saw him jump into the lead but not for long as Bezuidenhout played an excellent second after a ragged tee-shot to set up a birdie on the second.
Bezuidenhout then got in big trouble on the third, hitting a tree in the middle of the fairway with his second and putting his third in the hazard to surrender a double-bogey.
Brown put his tee-shot to 12 feet on the par three 15th for an eighth birdie of the day and the lead was up to three.
Westwood was his nearest challenger as he made the most of the par five fifth, with Bezuidenhout dropping a shot after appearing to hit a shank out of the bunker and into the trees.
Detry joined Westwood at 12 under as he added to gains on the fourth and fifth thanks to an excellent tee-shot on the seventh, but Westwood put an approach to tap-in range on the sixth to get within two.
Wallace holed lengthy putts on the first and third and while he gave a shot back on the third, he rebounded on the par five fifth. Another birdie came on the long eighth and when he got a fortunate bounce off the hospitality unit for a birdie on the ninth, he was 12 under.
An approach to tap-in range then moved him alongside Westwood and he was joined there by Thomson who was mounting an incredible comeback.
The first-round leader bogeyed the first and surrendered a double on the third after finding the hazard but birdied the fifth, hit a stunning approach into the sixth and then spun his tee-shot to close range on the seventh.
An eagle on the eighth after a remarkable second then made it five shots gained in four holes and Thomson was flying.
Detry's second to the tenth left him a tap-in as the group in second swelled to four, with Bezuidenhout birdieing the eighth to sit three back.
Adrian Otaegui and Richard Sterne were on the course at 11 under, with Norwegian Aksel Olsen and South African Justin Walters in the clubhouse at ten under alongside Fitzpatrick.
Olesen started the day right on the cut line and while he dropped a shot on the second, he made five birdies in six holes from the seventh and when he spun an approach to seven feet on the 16th, he was ahead of Fitzpatrick.
That would not last for long as Fitzpatrick birdied the second, fifth and eighth to turn in 33 and catch him. Further birdies on the tenth, 12th and 13th then gave the Englishman renewed hope.
Eddie Pepperell could also qualify with a victory but he carded a 74 to sit at three under.
