Lee Westwood will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Made in Denmark after a dramatic third day at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club.
The Englishman entered Saturday two shots off the lead but a sensational run of five birdies in a row after the turn handed him a three-shot lead as the Ryder Cup Vice Captain delighted the large crowds.
A double-bogey at the last after finding water off the tee then dropped him back to 16 under with a 67 and opened the door to the rest of the field.
England's Steven Brown fired a brilliant 63 to sit at 15 under alongside countryman Jonathan Thomson and Belgian Thomas Detry, with another Englishman in Matt Wallace a further shot back.
In the race to make the Ryder Cup Team, Thorbjørn Olesen came into the week knowing a two-way tie for seventh or better would guarantee his place at Le Golf National, with Matthew Fitzpatrick needing a victory and hoping that Olesen stumbles.
The Dane carded a 67 to surge up the leaderboard before Fitzpatrick went one better to sit three shots ahead of Olesen but six off the lead.
Eddie Pepperell could also qualify with a victory but he carded a 74 to sit at three under.
Westwood has held 26 54-hole leads on the European Tour, claiming 11 of his 23 wins from that position including his last one at the 2014 Maybank Malaysian Open.
The 45 year old is making his Danish debut this week as he looks for victory in a 14th country on the European Tour but he is ruling out an 11th consecutive Ryder Cup appearance when Thomas Bjørn makes his Captain's Picks on Wednesday.
“He doesn't want an old man like me playing, he wants the young kids in,” he said. “I've played ten and I know when my game is really on song ready for the Ryder Cup and I think there are more people deserving of a pick than me.”
I'm just going to try and go out and play like I've been playing. I'm hitting the ball solid and I'm rolling it well on the greens - Lee Westwood
He added: “I played great all day. I made one bad swing off the 18th tee but it'd be stupid to focus on that as well as I played, I had it under control all day.
“I'm not thinking any kind of score, I'm just going to try and go out and play like I've been playing. I'm hitting the ball solid and I'm rolling it well on the greens.”
Brown's 63 would have taken the course record had preferred lies not been in place, while Thomson carded a 68 and Detry a 66 as all three men go in search of a first European Tour win.
Wallace, meanwhile, will be hoping to give Bjørn something to think about with a third win of the season and fourth in 15 months on Sunday.
Brown turned in 30 after birdies on the first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth, and an eagle on the par five 11th saw him jump into the
A tee-shot to 12 feet on the par three 15th meant he led by three but that advantage had been cut to two by the time he signed his card and Westwood was leading the charge.
The 45 year old played a nice chip on the par five fifth, put approaches to tap-in range on the sixth and tenth and when he took advantage of the 11th he was in a tie for the lead.
That soon became a four-way tie with all of the chasing pack among the birdies but Westwood kept his foot down, driving the par four 12th for another gain. A delicate putt down the slope on the 13th brought yet another and when he made it five birdies in a row on the par five 14th, the lead was three.
Thomson bogeyed the first and surrendered a double on the third after finding the hazard but birdied the fifth, hit a stunning approach into the sixth and then spun his tee-shot to close range on the seventh.
An eagle on the eighth after a remarkable second then made in five shots gained in four holes and Thomson was flying.
He put his approach to six feet on the tenth and made the most of the 11th and 14th before a stunning bunker shot on the 16th had him within a shot of the lead.
Westwood found the water off the tee on the last to put Thomson into top spot but the 22 year old made a double of his own after sending his own tee-shot into the trees.
Detry turned in 33 with birdies on the fourth, fifth and seventh and an approach to tap-in range had him at 14 under. Another gain on the next had him in a share of the lead and he picked up another shot on the 13th with an approach to six feet.
Wallace took advantage of the four par fives along with making long putts on the first and third and hitting nice approaches into the ninth and tenth but bogeyed the 17th.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Callum Shinkwin were 12 under, a shot clear of Lucas Bjerregaard, Sam Horsfield, Adrian Otaegui, Richard Sterne and Erik van Rooyen.
