Dale Whitnell remains in the box seat to claim a maiden DP World World Tour title at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed after a roller coaster day three at Ullna Golf and Country Club.
The Englishman entered the weekend with a six-shot lead and after seven holes had stretched that to eight despite low scores from some of the early starters.
A pair of double-bogeys halted his momentum, however, and he ended the day at 19 under with a four-shot advantage over Germany's Yannik Paul.
Scotland's Richie Ramsay was then at 13 under, one shot clear of Dutchwoman Anne van Dam, who carded a stunning 63 to lead the female charge at the event which has seen 78 men and 78 women play the same course for one trophy and one prize fund.
While Whitnell's lead may have been trimmed, the 34-year-old remains in a strong position to get over the line for the first time, having already recorded a career-best three top tens so far in 2023.
It is Whitnell's first 54-hole lead on the DP World Tour but he is a winner on the European Challenge Tour and was keeping a cool head ahead of the biggest round of his career to date.
"I had couple of instances where it didn't go to plan but I thought I kept my head and just tried to plug away and take it one shot at a time," he said after carding a 70.
"It's hard to go through one round of golf without dropping a shot, never mind, two, three or four, so I just stuck to my guns and had a gameplan and tried to execute it. It wasn't a bad day, it wasn't exactly ideal but it was more than acceptable.
"Yannik played great and hit some good shots under pressure. He started off with a nice eagle down the fourth and from there we sort of mixed and matched birdies but I just kept my head and it was nice to follow him in at the last."
Whitnell saw his overnight lead trimmed to five as he failed to get up and down from the sand on the second but he hit back with a two-putt birdie on the par-five next.
Paul had dropped a shot on the first after a poor tee-shot but he spun a wonderful second to six feet at the par-five fourth for an eagle, with playing partner Whitnell making his birdie as he got up and down after a deft chip.
An approach to three feet at the fifth made it a hat-trick of birdies for the leader and his advantage was eight when he put his tee-shot to 14 feet at the seventh.
A double-bogey at the ninth after a poor tee-shot opened the door slightly to the field and while Whitnell picked a shot up from 12 feet at the tenth, the lead was down to five as Paul played an excellent bunker shot on the 12th and put an approach to eight feet on the 13th.
Whitnell took advantage of the par-five 15th, with Paul only able to make par after finding trouble with his second, but the leader then found water off the 16th tee and the lead was down to four.
It was briefly three as Paul tapped in at the last after a booming drive but Whitnell followed him in from 15 feet to keep some breathing room.
“My gameplan will stay the same," said Paul after his 68. "I feel like I kind of made my gameplan on Wednesday and that gives me the best chance to shoot a low score.
"Obviously I want to come out and make a few birdies to put some pressure on him, but everyone wants that. So just trying to stick to my game and hopefully shoot a low score and we’ll see what the day brings.”
Ramsay hit a stunning approach to the first but gave the shot back at the sixth before holing a six-footer at the 11th, putting a tee-shot to 13 feet at the 14th and making the most of the par-five next in a 69.
Van Dam made a fast start with a tee-shot to four feet at the second but gave the shot straight back before almost holing her second and making an eagle at the fourth.
A pair of excellent iron shots brought birdies at the ninth and tenth and were followed by a birdie at the par-five 12th and a 20-foot putt at the 13th.
A birdie at the 15th and a 40-footer at the 16th made it six birdies in eight holes and Van Dam left herself a tap-in at the last to be the leading female player.
England's Gabriella Cowley and Matthew Jordan, American Sean Crocker and local favourite Madelene Sagstrom were at 11 under, a shot clear of another English player in Paul Waring, Spaniard Angel Hidalgo, Dane Søren Kjeldsen and Frenchman Frederic Lacroix.
