Paul McGinley's hopes of lifting the BMW PGA Championship were spectacularly blown off course amid gusting winds at Wentworth.
The Dubliner slumped to a 79 to trudge off five shots behind leader Robert Karlsson - his four shot lead at the beginning of the day wiped out within five holes after a nightmare start.
In a day of twists and turns over the famous West Course, the tall Swede survived the blustery conditions to post a third round 70 and establish his own four stroke advantage going into the final round.
Karlsson strengthened his grip on the top of the leaderboard with closing birdies on 17 and 18 - his joy on the last in sharp contrast to McGinley who missed a four footer for a fourth bogey in his closing six holes.
If McGinley's hopes of lifting the European Tour's flagship event have seemingly evaporated, Karlsson's bid to become the first Swede to win the trophy look good but he was taking nothing for granted.
"It's another day tomorrow and if there can be an eight shot swing today there can be tomorrow," he said.
But Karlsson, who has been in a rich vein of form lately with a string of top five finishes, believes his game is better equipped than ever to finish the job and land the €750,000 first prize.
"I'm definitely a better player that I was a couple of years back," he said.
"I'm more comfortable hitting different shots. Before I was limited to playing well on wide courses which favour the big hitter but know I'm better able to adapt to different courses so that is a big difference."
Karlsson paid little attention to McGinley's plight which began with an horrendous double bogey on the first.
"It was important for me not to get caught up in what he was doing," he said.
"A four shot lead over 36 holes is big but it can go very quickly. There are no guarantees but to pick them up in four holes was a surprise."
Trailing in Karlsson's wake at seven under are Miguel Angel Jimenez and Oliver Wilson who fired 72 and 73 respectively while a stroke further back with McGinley are Argentinean Daniel Vancsik and India's Jyoti Randhawa.
Scotland's Gary Orr is at five under for the championship after a 73 and was happy with his round in the swirling conditions.
"Anything around par is a good score today," he said."It gusts and then switches direction so you're over the shot and in then in the space of 30 seconds you've got a totally different shot on your hands."
With bad weather expected for the final day Orr predicted it could be survival of the fittest.
"I spoke to the weatherman and he said it could be bad, even delays, so if it's like that it could be last man standing."
Paul Casey's charge up the leaderboard came crashing to a halt with a double bogey at 15 followed by bogeys on 16 and 17. His 73 left him four under for the tournament.
Midland PGA professional Matt Morris was left to reflect on a quadruple bogey on 18 that gave him a 76 and soured an otherwise solid round of golf.