India's Jeev Milkha Singh pitched in for eagle on the second and birdied the next to grab a share of the early third round lead when the Omega Dubai Desert Classic resumed.
The 41 year old Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open champion was only joint eighth at halfway, but holed out from 68 yards and then improved to 12 under par just as overnight pacesetter Richard Sterne set off again with a bogey.
South African Sterne was playing with rising Danish star Thorbjørn Olesen and he birdied the first to be alongside Singh before Scotland's Stephen Gallacher then made it a three-way with a birdie on the second.
Sterne, who began the week with a dazzling 62 that was only one stroke outside the course record set by compatriot Ernie Els 19 years ago, slipped into a tie for fourth with another Scot, Chris Doak, England's Tommy Fleetwood and German Max Kieffer.
Three-time runner-up Lee Westwood, at eighth in the Official World Golf Ranking the highest-ranked player taking part, birdied five of the first 13 holes to reach 11 under, but then bogeyed the next to be in a tie for eighth with, among others, Ryder Cup team-mate Sergio Garcia.
Gallacher, joint runner-up with Westwood last year but with only one European Tour success in over 400 starts, went two clear when he added another birdie at the long third and then holed from five feet at the fifth despite having driven into the left-hand rough.
He was 14 under, while Westwood, who finished poorly in the second round with a double bogey at 17 and a closing par five, fared much better on his return.
In went an 18 foot putt first and then he was on in two at the last and two-putted for another birdie and a 66 that set the clubhouse target at 12 under.
From joint 26th he had jumped into a tie for second with Sterne, Singh, Fleetwood and Olesen, but they all had lots more chances to come on an Emirates course softened by overnight rain.
