Andrea Pavan made six birdies in his first ten holes to move into a one-shot lead on day three of the D+D Real Czech Masters.
The Italian started the day two shots behind overnight leader Gavin Green but edged one ahead of the Malaysian during a low-scoring round three at Albatross Golf Resort.
Pavan was 16 under, two clear of three-time Major Championship winner Padraig Harrington and Scotland's Scott Jamieson.
Finn Tapio Pulkkanen was then 13 under, one clear of Italian Nino Bertasio and Belgian Thomas Pieters.
Pavan and Green are both searching for a first European Tour win but have tasted plenty of success, with Green the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit winner and Pavan topping the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2013.
Jamieson holed a long chip for eagle on the first to get within one of the lead and a monster putt on the second meant that after starting the day three back, he was in a tie for the lead after two holes.
Green got on the first green in two to record an opening birdie and edge back ahead but Jamieson's hot start continued when he holed from ten feet on the fourth.
Pavan was keeping pace with the leading duo and he holed from 12 feet on the second and half that range on the third to get to 11 under.
An eight-footer on the fifth had the 29 year old in a share and while Green moved ahead from 18 feet on the fourth, Pavan holed from similar range on the sixth to join him at 14 under.
Jamieson bogeyed the seventh to drop two off the lead and Pavan held the lead on his own when Green could not get a swing after finding a fence off his tee-shot on the fifth.
That left Green at 13 under and he found himself there with Harrington and Pulkkanen.
The Irishman was over the back of the first in two but got up and down beautifully, while Pulkkanen holed a long putt on the third and followed it with an 18-footer on the fourth.
The reigning Road to Oman champion then got up and down from a bunker on the sixth and Harrington birdied the same hole after a nice approach before putting his tee-shot on the next to tap-in range.
Green was a long way left again off the sixth tee but played a sensational up and down for a birdie to get back into a share of the lead.
Harrington and Pulkkanen both made excellent pars on the eighth after poor tee-shots to stay at 13 under, and they were joined by Jamieson after a smart approach into the ninth.
Pavan hit a similar third into the par five and made his putt from eight feet to take the solo lead.
Jamieson was within one when he holed from 12 feet on the tenth to make it back-to-back birdies and a nice Harrington chip on the ninth set up a gain for a three-way tie in second.
That was two back soon after, however, as Pavan holed a 25-footer on the tenth for a sixth birdie of the day.
Green was going a long way left off every tee-shot but his skills of recovery were superb and he got up and down from a bunker on the ninth to quickly trim the lead again.
Bertasio had turned in 35 with a single birdie on the first but went on a remarkable run after the turn, making four in a row from the tenth and adding another on the 16th.
Pieters holed from 15 feet on the par three third and took advantage of the par five ninth in his first ten holes.
England's Eddie Pepperell, Aaron Rai, Lee Slattery and Callum Tarren, and Thai Phachara Khongwatmai were all at 11 under.
