Bernd Wiesberger came under pressure from Anirban Lahiri as the final round of the Maybank Malaysian Open began in Kuala Lumpur.
The Austrian - sixth, third and fourth in the three recent Desert Swing events to climb into the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 50 for the first time - had continued his excellent form to establish a two shot lead over Alejandro Cañizares after a sparkling third round 63.
Birdies from eight feet at the first and second holes suggested the 29 year old might stroll to victory in the manner Lee Westwood did last year at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, when the former World Number One recorded a seven-shot victory margin.
But, after laying up at the par five, Wiesberger chunked his third into the water at the fifth and ran up a double bogey seven to be level par for the day through five holes.
At 17 under he led by just one from Lahiri, after the Qualifying Scholl graduate made four birdies in his first five holes.
After converting from 18 feet at the first and a par the second, Lahiri, a five-time winner on the co-sanctioning Asian Tour, tapped in at the third, holed from ten feet at the fourth and pitched to six feet at the fifth for a hat-trick of gains.
England’s Paul Waring was one under for the day to lie third on 15 under - one ahead of Cañizares, who bogeyed the second.
Defending champion Westwood had also had a disappointing start with a double bogey at the second leaving him fifth on 12 under and with a lot of ground to make up in order to retain his title.
Waring, like Lahiri pursuing a maiden European Tour win, birdied the sixth from 15 feet for a share of second place.
With the breeze picking up, Wiesberger was happy to head to the turn with a run of pars, and it was enough to restore his two shot advantage.
Waring had bogeyed the seventh after leaving his approach short and finding sand, and he and Lahiri both dropped shots at the ninth – 27 year old Lahiri was fortunate to only bogey the hole after his tee shot pulled up a foot from the water, while Waring three-putted.
Lahiri reduced the gap to one again with a birdie from 12 feet at the tenth, and Waring ensured it remained a three-horse race with a two-putt gain at the same par five.
Waring and Wiesberger both paid the price for missing the fairway at the 12th, where there was just one birdie all day, while up ahead Lahiri dropped a shot from the sand at the 13th, which had yet to produce a single gain during the final round.
Wiesberger did well to save par at the 13th after driving into the trees, but paid for another errant tee shot at the 14th when he failed to get up-and-down from behind the green.
The Austrian did well to salvage par from a greenside bunker at the 15th, but Lahiri rolled in a 40 foot putt from off the green at the 17th to snatch the outright lead for the first time.
