Gary Hurley made a move in the wrong direction in round three of the Thailand Classic as Thorbjorn Olesen stole a march to take a two-shot lead into the final round.
Hurley carded a three-over 75 to fall back to three-under-par through 54 holes and a share of 66th place.
A frustrating day was capped by a closing double bogey having dropped a shot on the 16th.
That proved a sour end to what was a good recovery from a torrid front nine. Having turned in 39 after three bogeys in five holes, the Waterford native rallied with birdies on 11, 13 and 15 to get back to level for the day.
At the summit, Olesen pounced on a sluggish 72 from overnight leader Rafa Cabrera Bello to post a 64 and lead by two over Yannik Paul and Nicolai Hojgaard.
The Dane who burst back onto the scene with a win at the British Masters last year carded eight birdies in a flawless round of golf.
The 2018 Ryder Cup player has only dropped three shots all week and has not had a blemish since the 17th in round two.
Four birdies on the trot around the turn saw the 33-year-old seize control and he is in prime position to notch his 7th DP World Tour win.
His countryman, Hojgaard is in the hunt after a 64 of his own which included an eagle on the par-5 11th.
Olesen who has recently become a father is excited by the potential of the Hojgaard twins and is looking forward to trying to hold off Nicolai on Sunday.
“I think overall it was a pretty good round. I didn’t get into a lot of trouble and some of the par fours and par fives I hit it close and could two-putt for birdie. I made it fairly easy for myself, which is nice. It’s not always like that.
“(Being a father) definitely keeps your mind off golf and keeps you busy at home. Before that I could do my own thing, now I have to look after the kids. It’s been fantastic. My partner is very good and does a lot of stuff. It’s definitely changed my life for the better.
“It’s unbelievable. The last three or four years there’s so many Danes coming up. The twins have so much talent and have shown that already. It’s very impressive for a country like Denmark. It’s not ideal with the weather, only five and a half million people. But I think we’re good at really grinding it out. When you have goals and work hard for it, it pays off. It’s really impressive and something I’m proud of.”
Overnight leader Cabrera Bello finds himself five shots off the pace after just two birdies and as many bogeys.
Scoring HERE
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