Daniel Brooks joined home hero Sergio Garcia at the top of the leaderboard early in the final round of the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.
The Englishman entered the week knowing he needed a top-eight finish to have a chance of keeping his playing privileges for next season but a birdie on the second meant he had a good chance of claiming his second European Tour title after the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI in 2014.
Garcia is a five-time winner on home soil, with all of those victories coming after he has held the 54-hole lead, and he parred his first three holes to stay at eight under.
Dutchman Joost Luiten was then at six under, a shot clear of Scotland's Scott Jamieson and two ahead of Welshman Jamie Donaldson.
Brooks' six-foot right-to-lefter was the only gain by any of the leading contenders with Luiten and Jamieson both making par-par-par starts.
A top eight finish could get Donaldson into the Access List top ten and stop him having to go to Qualifying School or use his Career Money List exemption next season, with a bogey on the second dropping him to fifth.
Wade Ormsby - at 106th in the Race to Dubai entering the week - is still not certain of keeping his card for next season but he is well placed on the Access List and was level par after three holes to sit alongside Ricardo Gouveia and Anders Hansen - who are also battling to keep their cards - at three under.
Hansen needs a win while Gouveia entered the week less than 500 points outside the Access List places.
Shane Lowry and Robert Rock were also five off the lead.
Robert Dinwiddie needs to finish second to have a chance of keeping his card while Sebastian Soderberg needs a top three finish and they were both two under.
