Thomas Pieters made a brilliant eagle on the ninth to turn in 32 and open up a two shot lead on day three of the 2020 Celtic Classic.
The big hitting Belgian entered the weekend at The Celtic Manor Resort one shot behind England's Sam Horsfield but his eagle on the par five moved him to 14 under and gave him a cushion at the top.
Horsfield and Scot Connor Syme were his nearest challengers, a shot clear of Belgian Thomas Detry, Pole Adrian Meronk and Swede Sebastian Soderberg.
Pieters had to make a smart par save at the first after sending his tee shot right but he soon found his rhythm and took advantage of the par five second to join Horsfield at the summit.
An excellent approach to three feet at the fourth edged him ahead and a second to similar range on the next meant he was two ahead.
He missed the green and failed to get up and down on the seventh to see the advantage trimmed to one, and Syme was soon alongside Horsfield in second.
The 25-year-old holed from ten feet on the 11th to make it three out of three on the par fives so far, adding to a gain on the sixth.
Another birdie on the 12th then moved Syme into a share of the lead.
Meronk had been quietly going about his business as he picked up shots on the seventh and eighth to turn in 34 before he took advantage of the 11th and then made a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to get to 11 under.
And he was soon joined there by Detry, who holed from 12 feet on the eighth and 18 feet on the tenth.
That group at 11 under was swelled further as Soderberg picked up shots on the seventh, 11th, 13th and 14th but they were soon three back.
Pieters found the fringe with his second on the ninth and holed from 25 feet to jump clear, with Horsfield breaking a run of eight pars with a two putt birdie.
Australian Jason Scrivener, Northern Irishman Cormac Sharvin and Scot Marc Warren were in the clubhouse at ten under after rounds of 65.
