Sean Crocker turned in 34 to open up a two shot lead on day three of the Trophée Hassan II.
The American had made just four cuts from ten starts after graduating from the European Challenge Tour but has been in the top 20 every time he has made the weekend and that was the form he brought to Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.
After starting the day in a share of the lead, he made three birdies and a single bogey on the front nine to get to seven under, two ahead of England's Jordan Smith and South African Erik van Rooyen.
Spaniard Jorge Campillo, Scotsman Grant Forrest, Japan's Masahiro Kawamura, American David Lipsky and England's Lee Slattery were at four under.
Conditions were much calmer than on day two and Jake McLeod and Tapio Pulkkanen both showed there was a score out there, carding a pair of 67s to move up the leaderboard.
Richard Sterne has been struggling with a wrist injury but looked in fine health on Saturday, holing his second at the 474 yard third for an eagle and adding birdies on the fifth, sixth and eighth.
Another gain from four feet at the ninth meant he turned in 30 and had leapt into a share of the lead before the final group had teed off.
When the leading duo did get under way, Crocker hit a beautiful shot to six feet at the first to take the solo lead.
Sterne hit a poor third at the 12th after laying up and bunker trouble on the next sent him back to three under.
A brilliant tee shot on the par three second left Crocker 15 feet for birdie and when he saw it drop he had gone from co-leader to three clear in two holes.
Kawamura birdied the fifth and sixth and made it a hat-trick with a long putt on the next to become the closest challenger.
Julian Suri joined him at the fifth as he broke a run of four opening pars from eight feet but he gave the shot straight back on the next after finding sand off the tee and three putted the seventh.
Campillo had holed a 35 footer on the fifth and a 20 foot putt on the eighth moved him into second, where he was soon on his own as Kawamura bogeyed the 11th.
Smith had bogeyed the fourth but took advantage of the par fives at the fifth and eighth to join Campillo two off the lead.
Sterne drove the par four 17th for a birdie but then bogeyed the last to join Paulkkanen and his fellow Finn Kalle Samooja in the clubhouse at three under.
Kawamura took advantage of the par five 12th to make it a three way tie for second and they were soon just one back as a poor second shot led to a bogey from Crocker on the eighth.
The group at five under was swelling and Van Rooyen joined it with a birdie on the 12th after bogeying the second, birdieing the seventh and leaving himself a tap-in at the ninth.
Kawamura failed to get up and down on the 13th and Campillo repeated the trick back at the 11th to see both players slip back to four under.
Crocker went straight for the flag at the par three ninth and rolled home from ten feet to extend his lead back to two shots.
Forrest had been one over for the round after seven but birdied the eighth, ninth, 12th and 15th, while Slattery turned in 36 with two birdies and two bogeys.
Suri was at three under after turning in 37.
