American Ryder Cup star Bubba Watson birdied the first three holes of his third round to crank up the pressure on overnight leader Alex Noren at the Nordea Masters.
The big-hitting left-hander had been five shots adrift of halfway leader Noren at the start of the day, but with the lengthy Bro Hof Slott layout well suited to his game, Watson wasted little time making a charge on moving day.
The 29 year old Noren, looking to become the fifth different Swede to succeed on home soil in the event’s history, started with three straight pars to remain 11 under par for the week.
India’s Shiv Kapur had started the day in as Noren's nearest challenger, but a double bogey at the second saw him slip to six under, five behind Noren and three adrift of Watson.
Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik looked set to establish the early clubhouse target - at six under with three to play he was seven under for the week and alone in third place.
The two-time European Tour winner lost his card at the end of last season, but was threatening to break Jin Jeong’s day-old course record of 65.
Vancsik needed to play the closing three holes in one under par to establish a new best.
