Louis Oosthuizen leads Paul Casey by four shots ahead of the final round of The Open Championship at St Andrews after a third round 69.
Casey, who only a week ago spoke of not wanting to be left behind as friend after friend won this year, was six adrift of the South African at the halfway stage but the 32 year old English star piled on the pressure with a dazzling outward 31 in more windy conditions.
The lead was twice down to one shot, but Oosthuizen refused to buckle and seized back control with a supremely impressive display of his own.
Oosthuizen matched Casey's birdies on the seventh and ninth and, with conditions easing late in the day, sank a 40 foot putt for another at the 16th.
Casey was delighted to safely negotiate The Road Hole 17th - it cost him a triple-bogey seven on Friday - but missed the birdie chance on offer at the last and had to settle for a 67.
Oosthuizen, though, also got through the 17th unscathed before driving the final green and two-putting for a fourth birdie of the day, a 69 and a 15 under total of 201.
As a result he remains firmly on course to become his country's first winner of the title since Ernie Els at Muirfield in 2002. He is a product of Els' Foundation.
“I was quite a bit nervous on the first,” admitted Oosthuizen. “That putt I was quite nervous knocking it ten feet past.
“But during the round it was great - I got myself together and made a few good par saves, and my first birdie on seven just got me going. I felt like I swung it really well all day and probably left a few more birdies out there.
“I couldn't wait to get to the back nine or to get to the 12th because I knew there was actually more birdie chances out there than the front nine today.
“But there's a lot of holes left - Paul played beautiful today, I was watching him from the fairways the whole time making putts.”
Casey is the only player within seven shots of him. German Martin Kaymer lies third on eight under and one further back are three more Europeans - England's Lee Westwood, Swede Henrik Stenson and Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares. That means the top six on the leaderboard are all European Tour Members.
Casey went into the event saying: "For me it's the Major I most want at the ultimate venue."
In America alone this season Justin Rose (twice), Rory McIlroy, Westwood and, best of all, Graeme McDowell at the US Open Championship have all lifted titles.
"I very much want to emulate what the others have done," Casey said.
"I am knuckling down and I've increased my focus and my workload just to make sure I'm not getting left behind."
Casey led at Pebble Beach after an opening 69 and he was also the pacesetter at Royal Troon in 2004, but this is his best chance of a Major so far.
Oosthuizen, the World Number 54 who had made the halfway cut in only one of his previous eight Majors and had then finished last in that, proved a tough nut to crack after taking a five stroke advantage into the weekend.
Forced to wait 28 hours between the end of his second round and the start of his third - Friday's suspension of play was part of the reason for that - Oosthuizen had not even teed off when his lead came down to four.
He then three-putted the first for bogey, but the former world junior champion began to handle the conditions and the situation much better.
Westwood, who missed the play-off by one after a closing bogey at Turnberry last year, had managed only a disappointing 38 going out, but came home in 33 to re-ignite his hopes.
With Paul Lawrie having come from 10 adrift to beat runaway leader Jean Van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999 - Britain's last victory in the event - Westwood is sure to keep fighting to the end.
And nothing will be conceded until that feared 17th is out of the way.
Kaymer was eighth in the US Open Championship last month, was a winner in Abu Dhabi in January and is on course for a Ryder Cup debut in October.
Stenson's day actually started at 4.15am. He and 29 others first had to finish their seconds round and after parring the 17th he birdied the last for a 74 and two under aggregate.
"I went back for some sleep in a couple of patches, then came back," he said.
"Obviously it was a good day for me. I made a bomb of 60-70 feet on the eighth and at the 13th hit my five wood about 320 yards and then a sand wedge.
"I couldn't see where it landed, but the crowd went crazy and I figured that was a good sign.
"It's tough conditions out there and we will see where I stand, but I have some experience that might come in handy tomorrow." He finished joint third at Birkdale two years ago.
Rory McIlroy - who scored 63 on Thursday, 80 on Friday - climbed back up from 38th to 12th with a 69.
