Lee Westwood faced the challenge of holding on to a slender lead as he began his final round at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
World Number Three Westwood eased around the Emirates course in 67 yesterday to open up a one shot advantage at the summit.
Marcel Siem, Stephen Gallacher and Rafael Cabrera-Bello were his closest challengers, while the likes of Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Björn remained in close contention on a congested leaderboard.
McIlroy - the winner of this event in 2009 - and Kaymer were two back on 13 under, and Björn was a further shot adrift after closing with three bogeys in four holes on day three.
Scoring was expected to prove trickier today due to a stiffening breeze, although the skies remained perfectly clear.
