Bradley Dredge resisted extremely windy conditions to maintain a healthy lead midway through his third round of the inaugural Made in Denmark.
Gusts of up to 30mph made scoring at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort fiendishly difficult but Dredge continued to hold off the chasing pack.
The 41 year old Welshman, who is slowly regaining his form after an injury ravaged 2013 campaign, birdied four out of his last six holes on Friday to open up a four stroke lead at the halfway mark.
Dredge started his third round with a bogey at the par four first but made a gain at the par five fourth before dropping a shot with a five at the sixth.
He reached the turn at one over for the day, a creditable score given the wind, and seven under par for the tournament.
His nearest challenger was England’s Oliver Fisher, who had a mixed start to his round with a sequence of bogey-eagle-birdie from the third followed by a bogey at the seventh.
A birdie two at the 10th took him to four under overall, three shots behind Dredge, in front of large crowds watching Denmark’s first European Tour event since 2003.
Two-time European Tour winner Dredge is chasing his first title since the 2006 Omega European Masters and is also trying to improve his position in the Race to Dubai, where he currently sits in 182nd.
