Thomas Björn of Denmark made a move to prevent Katsuyoshi Tomori becoming the first Japanese winner on the European Tour for 16 years - and only the second ever - in the Sarazen World Open at PGA Golf de Catalunya, Barcelona.
The Danish Ryder Cup player completed his third round, which had been halted by fading light on Saturday night, with a 70 for an 11 under par total of 205 to tie 44 year old Tomori in the lead.
Tomori had shot 66 to return his total of 205 late on Saturday night with 24 players left on the course when darkness forced the suspension of play.
However Björn produced a strong finish to his third round after thick early morning fog had delayed Sunday’s play by almost two hours.
Resuming at the seventh hole – his 16th – he pitched and putted for a birdie four then knocked his tee shot to six feet at the next for a further birdie. That put him level with Tomori on 11 under par.
The Dane, showing a welcome return to form, was plugged in a bunker at the ninth but played a superb recovery to five feet. His birdie putt lipped out, leaving the pair tied going into the final round.
Peter Mitchell had been locked at 11 under par with Tomori before the suspension of play, but he parred the seventh and bogeyed the eighth and ninth to drop back into a tie for fourth place with Paulo Quirici of Switzerland and Spain’s Francisco Cea.
Another Spaniard, Domingo Hospital, was in third on 10 under after a remarkable round of Saturday which contained two eagles and only four par figures.
Meanwhile Tomori set the pace thanks to a holed second shot from 130 yards with a nine iron at the second hole. That eagle – one of three twos in his round – propelled him into driving seat.
Now he aims to emulate his countryman Isao Aoki, who won the World Match Play in 1978 then added the 1983 European Open at Sunningdale to become the first winner of a 72-hole stroke-play tournament on the Tour.
“I putted very, very well.. That was the key. Now I want to follow Isao” smiled the inscrutable Oriental gentleman, who in 1996 became the first Japanese golfer to enter and to graduate from the Qualifying School.
