Jesper Parnevik got the ball rolling in the early morning sunshine at Royal Lytham & St Annes to get within one shot of the overnight leader Colin Montgomerie on six-under par.
Parnevik’s 68 moved him to five-under for the Championship and afterwards the Swede said:
"I feel very confident right now, in fact I'm playing better now than I can remember."
The 36-year-old opened with a birdie two at the first and with back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth, Parnevik moved to five-under with an outward nine in three-under 32.
He tied with Montgomerie for the lead when he birdied the 12th and by nowParnevik was relishing the round in benign conditions under the bright sunshine.
And by the time he had reached the 14th the Swede was easily spotted on the course.His run had gathered enough momentum to warrant the swollen crowds following him, and, there is no other golfer in the field brash enough to sport the salmon pink strides he chose to wear.
Parnevik, currently second on his own, has already finished runner-up in the Open on two occasions - Royal Troon in 1997 and Turnberry in 1994 - and believes his game suits links golf:
"I grew up playing windy conditions and from an early age I learnt how to hit low fades and draws which you need for this type of course."
As it went Parnevik bogeyed the 14th but remained calm and immediately hit back at the next, by drilling a low iron into 10 feet from almost 200 yards out and holed for birdie.
"I was a little disappointed," said Parnevik of his bogey on 17.He leaked his approach shot to the right and need a deft touch to land a pitch between bunkers to get close to the pin cut tight on the right.
Instead he left it short andit rolled into one of the bunkers where he had to pitch and putt for bogey.Meanwhile his partner Toskiaki Odate from Japan spent considerable time looking for, and then hacking,his ball to the left of the 17th, eventually carding an eight.
Asked if this distracted Parnevik before his pitch, he said, "maybe a little but that was not really the problem."
At five-under Parnevik had hoped to be several shots better and move ahead of Montgomerie given the easy conditions:
"If the weather stays the same then I think people like Colin (Montgomerie) could shoot low this afternoon and I don't want them to get too far ahead."