Joost Luiten matched his lowest round of the season on day three of the BMW International Open to take a three-shot lead into the final round at Golfclub München Eichenried.
The Dutchman was bogey-free in carding a 65 that moved him to 14 under and it will be a Dutch double in the final round on Sunday, with countryman Daan Huizing his nearest challenger after a 66.
Kiwi Daniel Hillier, South African Thriston Lawrence and Ryder Cup vice captain Edoardo Molinari were then at ten under but all eyes will be on Luiten as he looks to complete a remarkable comeback in 2023.
The 37-year-old is a six-time winner on the DP World Tour but the last of those came in 2018 and he is playing on a career money exemption this season after finishing 126th on the 2022 Rankings, his first season outside the top 90 since 2009.
His form this year has made a mockery of that, however, with him sitting 22nd in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex after three top threes and just one missed cut in 15 starts coming into this week.
A victory on Sunday and he may even start dreaming of a Ryder Cup debut after narrowly missing out in 2014, and Luiten puts much of the credit for his resurgence with coach Jamie Gough.
"Since I've been working with Jamie, I have so much variety in shot options, especially when it's windy like yesterday," he said. "That's when I've struggled and now I can control the ball a lot more. I have a low ball flight in the bag now and I think that helps me a lot.
"Everything feels really solid and that's definitely thanks to Jamie.
"Today was pretty much flawless. I didn't really get into trouble that much and if I did miss the fairway I hit a great shot and still created a birdie chance. I made some nice birdies coming down the last four or five holes and it was nice.
"It would mean a lot to me to win but that's not just me, that's everybody. We've got another 18 holes here and I need to keep my head cool, hit some shots like I did today and we'll see what happens. I'll try to play shot by shot like I did today."
Luiten got within one of Hillier's overnight lead as he almost aced the second but the leader made a birdie of his own on the par-three from 14 feet and then missed a good chance as he failed to get up and down after driving right up to the fifth green.
He bounced back from 18 feet at the par-five next but Luiten put his approach to four feet at the seventh and then got up and down for a gain on the ninth.
That briefly cut the lead to one but Hillier made a two-putt birdie of his own on the par-five and was two ahead at the turn.
The next par-five saw the leader in trouble as he found water with his second and dropped a shot on the 11th, with Luiten then joining the lead courtesy of a birdie from six feet at the 13th.
In the group behind, Hillier got in trouble down the right and then three-putted for a double-bogey and found himself behind clubhouse leaders Lawrence and Molinari.
Lawrence turned in 33 with three birdies, two bogeys and a brilliant eagle as he chipped in after almost driving the fifth, and then picked up three shots in his last four holes in a 66.
Molinari also carded a 66 as he recovered from a bogey on the first with seven birdies as he had what he called his best putting round in six years.
They were both soon overtaken by Huizing, however, as he came home in 31 to sign for a 66 of his own.
The 32-year-old turned in 35 and birdied the 11th before three excellent wedge shots on the 13th, 14th and 16th had him in double figures, with a 26 footer on the last making him the nearest challenger.
He was not keeping pace with his countryman, though, as Luiten holed a very smart putt from the collar on the 15th and put his approach to four feet on the next, making a two-putt birdie on the last to lead by three.
Huizing sits 165th in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex after missing two months of the season with injury but he is certain he can start climbing now he is back to full fitness.
"To be honest we didn't care too much about the outcome and I think that's a good place to be in," he said. "We just had a really good energy going between us and a good focus on the process, that culminated in a nice score.
"I'm not too worried about my ranking, I think the development I made at the start of the year was very strong and it just took some time to get back and get strong again."
Hillier bounced back from his double-bogey with a birdie on the 14th in a 71 that left him two shots ahead of Japan's Rikuya Hoshino, home favourite Maximilian Schmitt and Finn Sami Välimäki.
Scotsman Connor Syme made it three holes-in-one in three days and 27 in as many events this season as he holed a five-iron from 220 yards on the second.
