Germany's Tobias Dier will take a three shot lead going into the final round of the North West of Ireland Open at Slieve Russell on a day when one of the home favourites, Philip Walton, made a bizarre exit from the tournament.
A run of three birdies on the last three holes completed a flawless round of 66 which allowed the German to set the overnight target of 16-under par. Tomorrow, the 24-year-old will seek to improve on his fourth place finish in the same event 12 months ago.
"It is my first experience of leading a European Tour event and it felt perfect for the first nine holes, I was loving it," explained Dier who was out in three-under 33 for third time in as many days.
Dier could keep an eye on his nearest challenger as it came from his playing partner in the final group, Wales's Stephen Dodd who shot a resilient four-under par 68. The 1989 British Amateur champion had five birdies and just the one bogey in his round, the only blemish came with three putts for a bogey at the fifth.
Robert Jan Derksen from the Netherlands is two shots further back in third, while another Welshman, Mark Pilkington continued his good form of late to lie fourth on 10-under. Both players carded 69's.
David Higgins got in on the act with a 69 of his own and while in a share of eighth place he is also the leading Irishman. At four-under, Damien McGrane is next of the seven Irish who made the cut after he consolidated his position with a level par 72.
Philip Walton was one of the seven, but he made a bizarre exit from the tournament after being forced to leave the course midway through his round.
The 1995 Ryder Cup star made the cut after a brace of steady one-under par 71's. But the beginning of the third round was not so kind for Walton.
He opened with three successive bogeys, made a triple bogey six on the fifth, and then after a wayward approach to the sixth, rather conveniently, indicated to his playing partners that he was retiring from a neck injury.
Ordinarily this is no great deal in tournament play, usually someone is a casualty over the week from injury, and only yesterday fellow countryman Paddy Gribben was forced to do so.
However, the bizarre nature of Walton's actions came with his decision to continue playing after making his announcement with the intention of marking his playing partner's card, but the tournament director, Jose Maria Zamora, forced to stop him under European Tour regulations by the time he had reached the ninth.
When told he could not continue playing after announcing his intention to retire, the 49-year-old left the course, made a b-line for his car and a swift exit ensued. He now has to produce a medical certificate to prove his injury or be fined.