Richard McEvoy and Bryson DeChambeau shared the lead heading into the final round of the Porsche European Open as both men went in search of a first European Tour title at Green Eagle Golf Courses.
American DeChambeau started round three with a one-shot lead but on a day when two hours and 50 minutes were lost due to lightning in the area, he was caught by McEvoy.
The Englishman hit the front on his own with a birdie on the ninth and stayed in front as he carded a 69, with DeChambeau birdieing the last for a 70 and a share of top spot at 12 under.
Masters Tournament champion Patrick Reed and Austrian Matthias Schwab had both also held the lead on a day of nip-and-tuck but they were a shot back as the sun set in Hamburg, with England's Paul Casey at nine under.
McEvoy is a two-time Challenge Tour and six-time Qualifying School graduate but he has retained his playing privileges only twice on the European Tour since winning the Q-School in 2003.
The 39 year old has 11 top tens in 284 European Tour appearances and a win on Sunday would be his second in as many weeks after claiming victory at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge on the Challenge Tour.
“It was good. I was a little disappointed with the back nine, missed a few chances coming in on the last four holes or so but the change in conditions made it quite tough,” he said.
“My mindset will be much the same as last week. I’ve been playing very solidly, I’m enjoying being at the top of the leaderboard which is great and I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m just playing golf, exactly like I did last week and I prevailed then so fingers crossed that I can finish it off again tomorrow.”
DeChambeau announced himself to the European Tour in 2016 when, still as an amateur, he fired an opening 64 in his first ever regular event in Abu Dhabi against a field including Major Championship winners Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Jordan Spieth.
“I hung in there,” said DeChambeau. “On the front nine I had nothing, I was so happy the storm came through because that gave me a little time to get the game back in order and I was able to do that and play well on the back nine.
“If I’m comfortable out there and I can hit the right shots and have the kind of repeatability that I think I can produce out there, it’s going to be a tough one for anybody to get me.”
This week is just his second professional appearance on European soil in a regular event but he has looked very much at home as he seeks to become the first American winner of this event since Tom Kite in 1980.
Reed was carrying the same ambition after his 69 on Saturday, while rookie Schwab continued to impress with a 70.
McEvoy holed a 15-footer on the first to join the lead but playing partner DeChambeau edged back ahead with a 12-foot putt of his own before sending his tee-shot on the second a long way left to drop a shot.
Ahead on the third Schwab almost holed his second shot for eagle, leaving the shortest of tap-ins to join the lead.
McEvoy failed to get up-and-down from the sand on the sixth to drop out of the lead and when Schwab holed a nerveless eight-footer ahead on the seventh, he had top spot on his own.
Reed had holed a long right-to-lefter on the second for birdie and he followed playing partner Schwab in on the seventh to get to ten under, with McEvoy rejoining that group with a long putt of his own on the eighth.
A three-putt from Schwab on the ninth then meant there was a four-way tie for the lead but an excellent pitch after a lay-up on the par five edged McEvoy into the lead before the hooter sounded due to lightning.
Upon the resumption, Schwab made a tap-in on the tenth to join the lead but gave the shot straight back and a Reed birdie on the 11th had him in front for the first time.
DeChambeau holed from five feet on the 11th to make it a three-way tie but McEvoy followed him in after a nice chip.
Reed dropped a shot after finding water on the 13th but chipped in on the 15th and when Schwab birdied the last, the duo ended the day locked together.
DeChambeau joined the lead again with a tap-in on the 15th but gave the shot back after going over the next, before making a birdie on the 18th for the third day in a row.
Casey turned in level par but made birdies on the par five 11th, 15th and 16th in a 69.
Scot David Drysdale had shared the lead after a fast start before successfully recovering from a hat-trick of bogeys and then double-bogeying the last in a roller coaster 72.
Frenchman Romain Wattel also fired a 72 to sit at eight under alongside Australian Scott Hend, who signed for a 69, and Italian Renato Paratore who carded a 70.
