Gareth Maybin recovered from a sloppy start to keep the pressure on fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters.
Maybin, who trailed McDowell by two at the start of the third day, bogeyed his first two holes to slip back alongside Niclas Fasth on three under.
But the 30 year old Ulsterman responded superbly, with fine approaches to the third and fourth setting up consecutive birdies.
That took him back to his overnight score of five under and within two of McDowell, who started his third round with six straight pars.
Fasth - who fired a stunning 66 on Friday - picked up a birdie on the fifth to get to four under, while veteran Dane Thomas Bjorn was a further shot back in fourth after a front nine of 33 containing four birdies.
Damien McGrane remained in contention following a birdie on the third and the Irishman was joined on two under by Miguel Angel Jimenez and Joost Luiten - the latter picking up shots at 10, 12 and 13.
Anthony Kang picked up five birdies in 14 holes to also reach two under, but he double bogeyed 16 before getting a shot back at the penultimate hole.
Soren Kjeldsen was another of the early starters to prosper, the Dane firing four birdies in a 68 to move to one over, while Race to Dubai leader Martin Kaymer went round in 70 - his best round of the week so far.
The German remained ten shots adrift of McDowell - his nearest rival in the Race to Dubai - and appears unlikely to achieve the top-two finish that would see him replace Tiger Woods as World Number One on Monday, with the absent Lee Westwood set to profit instead.
