Padraig Harrington opened up a one-shot lead midway through the third round of the Portugal Masters at Victoria Clube de Golfe.
The Irishman has not won on the European Tour since he claimed the US PGA Championship in 2008 but four birdies on the front nine courtesy of a hot putter and some accurate iron play off the tee moved him to 17 under.
Scot Marc Warren had entered Saturday a shot ahead of Harrington but a bogey on the ninth dropped him back to 16 under, a shot clear of Dane Anders Hansen.
Finland's Mikko Korhonen was then at 14 under, a shot clear of Jens Fahrbring, Stephen Gallacher, David Horsey and overnight co-leader Andy Sullivan.
Harrington had spoken after round three of how he thought the pressure of being at the top may stop the leaders from going seriously low but he showed no sign of nerves with a 30-foot putt for a birdie on the first that got him into a share of the lead.
Sullivan hit a perfect tee-shot on the opening hole but when he put his second to the left of the green in just about the roughest stuff you will find around the course, a dropped shot followed.
A birdie for Warren on the second then moved him back to where he has been for much of the week - in the solo lead - but Fahrbring also made a gain to stay just one shot off the summit.
At 116th on the Race to Dubai, Korhonen needs a big week to keep his playing privileges and he made back-to-back birdies on the second and third to join Sullivan at 13 under.
Sullivan then put his approach on the fourth to six feet to get back to 14 under with playing partner Fahrbring dropping a shot on the same hole.
Korhonen made it three birdies in his first five holes to get within a shot of the lead and then went bogey-birdie on the sixth and seventh.
Warren got up and down for a birdie on the fifth to briefly extend his lead - with Fahrbring birdieing the same hole - but Harrington put his tee-shot on the sixth to tap-in range to quickly cut the gap.
He repeated the trick on the eighth to make it a two-way tie and Warren needed a smart par save on the seventh as Sullivan made a second bogey of the day.
Hansen meanwhile - who is semi-retired and playing just his fifth event of the season - had birdies on the first, second, fifth, 11th, 12th and 14th to surge through the field.
Warren could not put his tee-shot on the eighth as close as Harrington had but that did not stop him from making a third birdie of the day to edge back in front.
Harrington does not have three Major Championships to his name for nothing, though, and he rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the ninth to share top spot again before Warren and Fahrbring both bogeyed the same hole.
