A six under par 66 gave England’s Simon Khan the clubhouse lead during the third round of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol.
The former BMW PGA Championship winner turned in 35, but sprang to life on the back nine with five unanswered birdies to reach 11 under at Aloha.
He was level with first-round leader Matteio Manassero, the Italian 18 year old four under for the day with five to play.
On a tightly-packed leaderboard, Khan’s compatriot David Lynn and Spain’s Eduardo De La Riva were a shot back on ten under – both with holes remaining.
Lynn made a flying start to his third round with a pitch to five feet at the fifth completing an early hattrick of birdies.
Four players were in the clubhouse at nine under – Welshman Phillip Price (66), South African Darren Fichardt (67), German Marcel Siem (67) and France’s Julien Quesne (67) all just two off the pace, along with Raphaël Jacquelin, who had three holes remaining.
“I played nicely all through the week and if I had taken a couple more chances I would have been further up,” said Khan.
“I had a figure in my mind, and I thought that if I could play steady and pick up the birdies, that score would be possible.
“Last year’s French Open was the last time I was in position to win - hopefully it'll all come flooding back. I've had times like this before when I haven't been up there consistently and I managed to have good weekends. I'm going to enjoy it tomorrow and rely on my game."
