Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen will take a big five-stroke lead into the final round of the Diageo Championship at Gleneagles tomorrow.
The 28-year-old is in sight of his first European Tour victory following a superb third-round 67 which took him to nine under par.
Kjeldsen, perhaps the least-known member of the tour's millionaires club, was only one ahead at halfway, but the stg£200,000 first prize moved firmly into view for the former World Cup player as the wind died down.
During an incident-filled second round there had been 13 sevens, three nines, a 10, an 11, a 12 and the 17 from Londoner Chris Gane at the 533-yard last that was the second-highest score in the history of the circuit.
The worst that happened to anybody on the third day was the closing quadruple bogey nine of Paul Lawrie. The 1999 Open champion had broken his putter coming off the 13th and used his driver thereafter, but he could not blame that - he lost two balls before he reached the green.
Kjeldsen had a marvellous nine threes in his first 13 holes and, having gone to the turn in 31, was seven clear at one point.
It was not the same plain sailing on the way home, though. He took six at the long 12th, and failed to get up and down from off the green at the 15th and 17th.
But an eight-foot putt on the last widened the gap again.
There were four Danish winners on tour last year - only Sweden had more - and Kjeldsen, 22nd on this season's Order of Merit, might never have a better chance to join Thomas Bjorn, Steen Tinning and Anders and Soren Hansen.
"Now it feels like if they can do it, I can do it," he said.
Scotland's Alastair Forsyth, joint first-round leader and a member at Gleneagles, moved into joint second place with Paul Broadhurst on four under with a 69.
Broadhurst, who feared for his career when he had to attend the tour qualifying school again last November, returned a 71.
Earlier the Irish contingent of Gary Murphy, Philip Walton and Graeme McDowell carded respectable rounds but failed to make an impact on the leaderboard, having started the day well of the pace.
McDowell fared best of the trio with a 68 that saw him climb to three over par, while the Murphy and Walton remained as they were on five and four over respectively, carding a 72 each.