Craig Lee was on course to strike the first sub-60 round in the history of The European Tour at the Omega European Masters.
The Scot incredibly birdied eight times on the front nine, his streak only ended by a par on seven, to fly up the leaderboard.
He picked up a further shot at ten and, following a par at the next, looked in good shape to make history.
Lee was to pay the price for a poor tee shot on 11 and ultimately holed a ten footer to escape with bogey.
That putt could well prove crucial, though.
Indeed, Lee – following a stunning approach to the par three next – was back at nine under for the round through 13, needing to pick up three further shots to achieve the ultimate individual feat.
Yet more pressing may be keeping his nose in front of Thomas Bjørn, who once again showed great consistency at Crans-sur-Sierre.
The Dane, whose only bogey so far this week came on the 18thyesterday, was flawless once more as he picked up three strokes in an outward 33.
But while his efforts today could ultimately have more bearing on the overall tournament, all eyes were on Lee’s pursuit of perfection.
