A brilliant putting display put Romain Wattel on course for a maiden European Tour title as the Frenchman established a three shot lead after three rounds of the KLM Open.
The 23 year old fired seven birdies – several of them from distance – against a single dropped shot at Kennemer Golf & Country Club as a six under par 64 took him to 14 under for the week.
That was three clear of Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, with Paul Casey a shot further back in third after matching Pablo Larrazábal’s course record 62 just 24 hours after it was set.
“I don’t know what the game plan is for tomorrow - I will thing about that tonight,” said Wattel.
“I was just trying to play as well as I could today. I knew I was playing well the last few weeks, so I just said to myself to play the best golf I could.
“I don’t know what the other players will do tomorrow, the only thing I can do is to do the best I can and concentrate on my own game.
“I played really good today. I struggled on the start with a poor tee shot on the first, but then I hit some good shots and got some confidence. The last few weeks, the only thing I’ve struggled with is the ball flight of my irons. This week you have some tough shots, so I really managed to play some strong shots this week.
“I’m not really affected by people saying I will definitely win on The European Tour. I know that if I play good enough I will win one day. Maybe that will be tomorrow, maybe it will be in two years. The most important thing for me is to play some good golf.
“I’m not in the top 100 in the world so I can’t play the Majors or the WGCs. So I’m just trying to improve my game week after week. I’m feeling confident, but even if I don’t win tomorrow it will have been a good week for me and I will try to keep doing the same, and maybe it will be next week.
“It is the first time I’ve led after three days, so it’s great. It won’t be easy tomorrow. They expect some winds, but I’m really happy with the situation I am in. It is always nice to be in the last group of the tournament, I like to be under pressure. It is in the tense moments that you produce your best shots.”
Halfway leader Larrazábal, who started the day two clear, appeared to be making serene progress as he followed six opening pars with a birdie at the long seventh.
But an errant tee shot at the short eighth found thick rough, from where the Spaniard could only salvage a quadruple bogey seven which sent him tumbling down the leaderboard and he finished the day nine shots adrift following a 75.
Playing partner Wattel, chasing a first European Tour title having recorded 15 top-ten finishes, swooped into the lead with a hat-trick of gains from the sixth which culminated in a 30 foot putt on the eighth.
Casey joined him on 11 under, and might have created a piece of history as the three-time Ryder Cup star’s approach to the ninth, his last, narrowly missed the pin when an eagle would have secured a first 59 and spun off the green, from where he took three for a first bogey of the day.
Wattel then doubled his advantage when he holed from 15 feet at the tenth, before converting from five feet at the 14th and 25 feet at the 16th for further gains – his only bogey of the day coming at the 17th.
Ramsay, fourth in Italy a fortnight ago and eighth in Switzerland last week, completed a five under par 65 that contained six birdies and a single bogey.
“I’ve been working on the mental side and being a bit more patient, and I’ve worked on the short irons. I was making too many mistakes. I’ve started making birdies now. It was a small change but it has worked.
“I’m in a lovely position. The golf course played great again. It’s getting bouncy and favours shotmakers. I need the same attitude tomorrow, so I’m hoping to go out and enjoy it as you don’t get this sort of opportunity all the time.”
