World Number One Luke Donald, winner at Wentworth Club the last time he played in Europe, led the Barclays Scottish Open with nine holes to go at Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness.
With the event reduced from four to three rounds after the rain that washed out Saturday's play, Donald first of all completed a second successive 67 and then went to the turn in 31.
Four birdies in a row from the third and then a 15 foot putt for another at the 364 yard ninth lifted the 33 year old to 15 under par.
He was one ahead of Chilean Mark Tullo, who began the back nine with his own four successive birdies, while two back were England's Robert Coles, Spaniard Carlos Del Moral and Austrian Martin Wiegele.
They had all overtaken the four 36-hole leaders - Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, Scots Peter Whiteford and Scott Jamieson and Ryder Cup Swede Peter Hanson.
Donald drove into a bunker on the tenth, but even that worked out in his favour.
Because of the water in it the trap had been declared ground under repair. He took a free drop away, pitched to six feet and went two ahead again.
Donald was in sight of another victory when he had his seventh birdie on the 15th to be three clear at 17 under.
That became two, though, when Swede Fredrik Anderson Hed finished with four birdies on the front nine for a best-of-the-week 62.
