Christian Cévaër and Jeev Milkha Singh will share a three shot lead going into the final round of The European Open after rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.
No fewer than nine players held at least a share of the lead during a third round littered with high scores, but at the end of it France's Cévaër, 449th in the world, and Indian Singh were three clear of the chasing pack at nine under par.
They shot 70 and 71 respectively, Cévaër making one of only two birdies all day on the 471 yard last. The 69 strong field were a cumulative 76 over par there.
“It's nice when you can enjoy a perfect hole like that,” said Cévaër. “I noticed the pin position as I walked to the tenth, so I knew that you had to be on the left or long. I pulled out a rescue four, which works out as a three iron for me, and used the wind like that. It's a great feeling when those shots come off like that, perfect.”
Singh, joint halfway leader with Cévaër’s compatriot Michael Lorenzo-Vera, covered the last six in a quite brilliant four under and the World Number 39 admitted he had to play some bold shots to do it.
“I just got aggressive,” he said. “I took the gamble on the 14th hole, it's three wood, they moved the tee up, very tempting I went for it and I birdied it. After that, I made a good birdie putt on 15, and then I birdied 16, hit a great shot into 17, birdied that. I think a finish like that doesn't happen too often, but I'll take it.”
But it is far from a two horse race at The London Club.
Rory McIlroy, golf's most gifted 20 year old, is one of two 2009 European Tour winners in a share of third - Alvaro Quiros is the other - along with England’s hottest golfing prospect Chris Wood.
As strong winds were causing almost everyone problems, McIlroy produced a superb four under par 68 to charge from 25th place overnight to joint third.
And Wood, the 21 year old from Bristol who as an amateur finished a spectacular fifth in The Open Championship last July, made the exact same move as he continued his bid for a maiden European Tour win.
McIlroy and Wood share third spot with big-hitting Spaniard Quiros and all three are eagerly looking forward to the closing 18 holes.
Wood turned professional straight after his Birkdale heroics and led on his professional debut in Sweden, but then caught food poisoning and fell away.
He has not dropped a shot on the fearsome 471 yard 18th yet and said: "I'm not thinking about winning yet. I've just got to keep doing the same that I've been doing mentally this week.
"It's taken me a while to get going this season. Coming through Tour School I didn't get into that many events and those I did I was practising in snow and ice at home and then going out to Indonesia or wherever."
The wind is far more used to from his amateur days - and the same is true of McIlroy, of course.
