Veteran Peter Senior is poised to land his first title since 1997 after maintaining his five-shot cushion over the field at the Australian PGA Championship.
The 44-year-old Queenslander leads on 18 under par after three rounds, after carding a 69, with Craig Parry, Rod Pampling and Wade Ormsby his nearest challengers.
The trio must either shoot low scores tomorrow or hope for a Senior slip-up, but he remains composed and increasingly comfortable at the top of the leaderboard. Senior's third round was not flawless and rarely did he exhibit the scintillating golf of Thursday and Friday when he posted scores of 64 and 65, but it contained just one bogey, on the 17th.
And four birdies, including one at the 18th, tightened his grip on first place. The most significant move of the day came from Ormsby, who recently graduated from the European Tour school. A round of 63 sent him soaring up the leaderboard and into contention for the big money.
He will go out with Senior in the final pairing on Sunday, with Parry playing alongside Pampling. Parry carded a 68 on Saturday, with Pampling scoring 69, while Scott Gardiner shot 65 to move into a share of fifth place with Peter O'Malley whose 69 was his third consecutive sub-70 round.
Senior was disappointed last weekend when he failed to capitalise on a decent start at the Australian Masters and finished in 11th place, after finishing with rounds of 75 and 71. This time he is determined not to make the same mistake.
"If I do end up winning it, you won't see a happier chappy than me," he said.
American Ryan Palmer's 68 kept him in the hunt for a high finish in seventh place, on 10-under. After his second-round 74, Greg Norman bounced back to form with a 66, and shares eighth place with five others, including Frenchman Jean van de Velde.
Back in action after knee surgery, van de Velde admits he is playing to save his career and he carded an encouraging third successive 69.