Paul Casey showed his undoubted class to take a two stroke lead into the closing straight of his third round at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
One behind fellow Englishman Graeme Storm and Australian left-hander Richard Green at halfway, Casey went to the turn in 32 to reach 14 under par.
The 31 year old, who has had 15 top ten finishes since his last victory came in the same event two years ago, birdied the first, second, seventh and eighth as he followed up a sparkling second round 65.
And he then birdied the tenth and the 12th to advance to 16 under.
Storm, playing his first tournament for more than two months, led on his own when he birdied the first and fifth, but a poor tee shot to the short seventh found the rough and failing to salvage a par dropped him alongside Londoner Anthony Wall at 12 under at the turn, before two birdies took him to 14 under.
Green also opened with a birdie, but then came bogeys on the fifth and ninth and instead it was defending champion Martin Kaymer who had climbed to third on 13 under.
Swede Per Hanson, Wall, first round leader Johan Edfors and South African Louis Oosthuizen were in joint fourth.
Spanish golfer Alvaro Quiros hit a hole in one - and he will still be enjoying the fruits of it when he is old and grey.
Europe's biggest hitter aced the 186 yard 12th in his third round, and the prize was an annual three night stay in the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel for life.
