Alvaro Quiros maintained his two-shot lead as the third round of The Rocco Forte Open - Verdura, Sicily got under way in windswept conditions.
Rounds of 63-64 over the first two days had got the Spaniard to 15 under and he remained at that mark after making a birdie and a bogey in his first three holes.
Playing partner Michael Hoey matched that start to be his closest challenger, a shot clear of José-Filipe Lima, David Horsey and Zander Lombard.
Quiros' performance this week represents a remarkable return to form for the six-time European Tour winner, who is focusing on the Challenge Tour this season after a downturn in fortunes in recent years.
Horsey made a brilliant start, putting his approach to the first tight for a birdie and then taking advantage of the par five next after hitting the green in two.
Quiros had holed four excellent birdie putts in a big finish on Friday and he instantly found his range again, holing an 18-footer on the first to get to 16 under.
The wind was making putting very difficult but Hoey made a beautiful, tricky right-to-lefter on the first to join Horsey two shots back before the Englishman dropped his first shot of the day on the third.
Big-hitting Lombard was the next man to take advantage of the second and he was joined at 13 under by Lima who, after making birdie from the fringe on the first, chipped in on the fourth.
The Portuguese gave the shot back on the fifth, however and dropped back to 12 under where he was joined by Lombard after a bogey on the third.
The third was proving a very tough challenge for all the players in the wind and Hoey made a bogey after sending his tee-shot way left, with Quiros doing the same after sending his second to the right.
Horsey then made a second bogey of the day on the fifth to sit a shot ahead of Pep Angles - who was four under for the day with one to play - Raphaël Jacquelin and Mark Foster.
Garrick Porteous, Lee Slattery, Renato Paratore, Gary Hurley, Haydn Porteous and Sebastian Soderberg were all then ten under.
