Rory McIlroy moved into prime position to win The Race to Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates but will need to overcome Andy Sullivan on Sunday if he is to claim a second DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
The 2012 champion was in inspired form in the third round as he fired a 65 to get within a shot of leader Sullivan and, just as importantly, four shots clear of closest rival Danny Willett in the battle to be Europe's Number One.
Sullivan is going for a fourth European Tour title of the season and birdied two of his last four holes in a 68 to move to 16 under and within touching distance of a second wire-to-wire win in six weeks after his victory at the Portugal Masters.
Willett, meanwhile, needs to finish above McIlroy to overturn the slim 1,613-point gap in The Race to Dubai and deny the Northern Irishman a third European crown.
Patrick Reed was three shots behind the leader with Byeong-hun An and Emiliano Grillo at 12 under and Willett, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Thongchai Jaidee a further shot back.
But it was McIlroy who stole the headlines and, after revealing he felt he should have gone lower on Saturday, the 26 year old admitted he was desperate for a third European Tour win of the season.
"It's the only thing left this year," he said. "It's my last round of the year, last round of the season and I want to make the most of it. It would have been nicer to be a shot better going into the last round but I've got one more round to go out and give it my all.
"It would mean an awful lot just being able to go into the Christmas break on a bit of a high note winning The Race to Dubai, winning this tournament, just to get another tournament win.
At the end of the season, if I walk away with four wins, it's still pretty good. But a Race to Dubai title, even though it wasn't the season that I wanted, it would just be huge to walk away here on a high tomorrow - Rory McIlroy
He added: "I played fantastically well. I could have been five under through five easily. I hit the ball beautifully.
"Everything was just firing today and that's why I'm walking off the golf course a little bit disappointed because that 65 could have easily been a 62 or a 61.
"But I'm still in a great position going into tomorrow."
McIlroy made a smart birdie on the first before reaching the 583 yard par five second with a driver and a six iron to record a third gain of the week on that hole.
That got him to double figures but Sullivan did not seem fazed by having the World Number Three behind him and continued to wear his trademark smile as he birdied the second to open up a two shot lead over playing partner Grillo.
McIlroy then joined the Argentinian two shots back with another gain on the third and when Sullivan recorded just his second bogey of the week after finding the greenside bunker on the par three fourth, the gap was one.
The leader responded with a nerveless 12-footer to get the shot back and played up to his large band of travelling support who have been following him all week.
But McIlroy would not let the pressure drop off and a birdie on the par five seventh made sure the lead was back to one.
The leading duo were going blow-for-blow and Sullivan also took advantage of the seventh with a two putt birdie which re-established his two shot lead. McIlroy was relentless, though and, after turning in 32, a beautiful approach shot yielded a birdie at the tenth.
Willett had been quiet after turning in 35 but he birdied the 14th and an eagle on the driveable par four 15th catapulted him up to ten under.
When McIlroy dropped a shot on the 12th, all of a sudden the Race to Dubai battle between the pair was tight again but the four-time Major Championship winner responded in devastating fashion.
As Sullivan made six straight pars from the eighth, McIlroy birdied the 13th and 14th and, after firing a 280 yard three wood onto the green at the next, made it three in a row to take the lead.
Willett, meanwhile, birdied the last to come home in 32 and sign for a 67 that gives him a fighting chance of winning The Race to Dubai.
"I said at the beginning of the week, (I wanted to be) somewhere there or thereabouts with nine holes to go on Sunday," he said.
It looks like we're not going to be a ridiculous way behind. If you can keep it to two or three shots, anything can happen - Danny Willett
"It was a good day. Pretty stale on the greens again. One pretty nice 40-footer for the eagle on 15 but apart from that, it was hitting a lot of good golf shots and not quite getting much out of it.
"But I kept digging in and, obviously looking at the leaderboard to see what was going on and knowing that people were going good and shooting low scores, actually probably helped."
It was another Englishman providing McIlroy's challenge at the top of the leaderboard though, and Sullivan, after extending his par streak to seven, holed a 10-footer on the 15th to get back into a share of the lead.
And the fans on the 17th were soon cheering his name as the 28 year old rolled in a 20 foot putt to once again move ahead as McIlroy missed a makeable effort on the last to get back into a share.
Despite his form this season, Sullivan insists he will be the underdog on Sunday afternoon, although that does not dent his belief that he can add to his victory in Portugal and two titles in South Africa.
If I keep putting the way I am and hitting the ball well, I can still do it. I believe in myself, so I'll just see but it's going to be a good day I think - Andy Sullivan
"There's no pressure on me. I'm not expected to win, am I? I can go out there and play golf. No one is going to expecting me to beat him tomorrow.
"So for me it's a nice position to be in, one in front."
He added: "I felt pretty calm out there. I got a little bit frustrated through the middle part of the round, just not quite on point on the golf today. I felt like the putter really saved me the last few holes.
"68, the way I played, I was quite happy with that, really. Played a lot better yesterday and only shot two better."
Reed has been in good form of late, a play-off defeat at last week's BMW Masters was his third consecutive top ten, and the American carded six birdies and two bogeys to sit alone in third.
An is another man enjoying a purple patch and he had a single bogey in a 66 that moved him to 12 under for the week and 58 under for The Finals Series so far.
Grillo finished with four straight birdies in a 71 that maintained his momentum after recent wins on the US PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour.
Fitzpatrick joined Willett in making an eagle at the 15th in his 68 as he aims for a tenth top ten of the season and to keep the pressure on An in the battle to be crowned Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.
Jaidee bogeyed the last in a 69 that left him in that group at 11 under, a shot ahead of South African duo Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel and two clear of Francesco Molinari and Chris Wood.
