Alexander Noren carded a six under par 66 to set the third round clubhouse target at seven under par at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters Presented by Dolphin Energy.
With overnight leader Louis Oosthuizen yet to tee off, the Swede took advantage of bright but chilly conditions at Doha Golf Club to climb the leaderboard and sit four shots clear of his nearest challenger in the clubhouse – defending champion Adam Scott reaching three under for the week.
The 26 year old – who has two top five finishes in his last four European Tour events - closed with three consecutive birdies to bring his total for the round to seven, with just a single bogey.
But Oosthuizen was still the man to catch – last week’s runner-up in Abu Dhabi sitting on 12 under par at halfway, three clear of the inaugural winner of the event Andrew Coltart.
On the course Henrik Stenson, Paul Broadhurst and Chapchai Nirat were all one under in the early stages of their third round to sit alongside Noren on seven under.
