Marcel Siem admitted winning a fifth DP World Tour crown at the Hero Indian Open would be a "life-changer" after Saturday's 67 saw him close to within one shot of countryman Yannik Paul at the top of the leaderboard.
Siem won four titles between 2004 and 2014 but has not tasted victory on the DP World Tour since then, although he did win Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge on the European Challenge Tour in 2021.
The German secured his card for the 2023 season at the DP World Tour Qualifying School in November and has gone from strength to strength ever since, finishing in the top 20 in five of his six events before this week.
And now Siem has a golden opportunity to return to the winner's circle after a fine third round at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The 42-year-old started the day five shots behind Paul but closed the gap with three birdies on the front nine.
After cancelling out his birdie at the 11th with a bogey on the difficult 14th - which came courtesy of a clutch putt from around 12 feet - Siem then produced a birdie-birdie finish to reach ten under par.
He said: "It was a nice start. It’s not easy to hole putts, so holing a nice one on the first helps, it takes the pressure off a bit. I slept super bad last night, had all sorts of thoughts going through my head but it was good.
"I get the shivers already, just thinking about (winning). Yannik is a very good player, very steady, he’s a tough guy to beat.
"I'm not thinking about it. Last three holes down the stretch, that’s where it matters. I’m just trying to do what I do, but it would mean a lot to me, trust me. It would be a life-changer, but let’s talk about that tomorrow."
