Spain's Miguel Angel Jiménez held a narrow lead over home favourite Joost Luiten midway through the final round of the KLM Open at Zandvoort.
Jiménez, already the oldest winner in European Tour history, began the day a shot behind playing partner Luiten but quickly moved into the lead courtesy of a hat-trick of birdies from the second.
Luiten's second birdie of the day on the fifth briefly got the 27 year old back on level terms, but Jiménez - who broke his leg in a skiing accident shortly after his win in the Hong Kong Open aged 48 and 318 days last November - also birdied the sixth from five feet to reclaim the lead.
The 49 year old, who is looking to claim his 20th European Tour title and 13th since turning 40, then parred the next three holes to reach the turn at 13 under, one ahead of Luiten.
England's Simon Dyson, three-time a winner of this event and twice in play-offs at Kennemer, was three shots off the pace alongside France's Julien Quesne.
Dyson started in brilliant fashion with three birdies in his first four holes, but dropped a shot on the eighth after a poor tee shot on the tough par three.
A drive of more than 330 yards on the downwind par five 12th allowed Jiménez to set up a 15 foot eagle putt, but after that slipped by the hole he amazingly missed from two feet for a birdie.
That meant Luiten's two-putt birdie from long range took him into a share of the lead on 13 under, with Dyson two behind after also making a birdie on the 12th.
Jiménez made amends on the next with his fifth birdie of the day, and with Luiten dropping a shot after failing to get up and down from off the green Jiménez had a two shot cushion for the first time.
That two shot cushion lasted only two holes however, and it could have been even worse for Jiménez.
Luiten birdied the 14th after a superb approach and a similarly well-struck iron shot into the 15th left the home favourite just seven feet for another birdie, while Jiménez had already bogeyed after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker.
The birdie putt went begging but a par was enough to get back on level terms with Jiménez at 13 under with three holes to play.
Both leaders found trouble from the tee at the 17th – Jiménez ending up in the front bunker and Luiten finishing in the rough next to it – but with neither getting up and down they remained locked together on 12 under.
