The effects of a bad headache finally caught up with Steen Tinning today as he lost a four-stroke lead in the Heineken Classic in Perth.
The 38-year-old Dane will go into the final round tomorrow in joint third place, three strokes behind Australian left-hander Nick O'Hern.
While local star O'Hern birdied two of the last three holes for a 69 and 12 under par aggregate of 204, Tinning finished with two bogeys, hitting a three wood into the lake at the par five last.
"I kept getting the headaches after six or seven holes," said Tinning.
"My caddie asked if I wanted any pills sending for, but I decided against it and towards the end of the round I started feeling worse and worse."
Defending champion Michael Campbell is now the main threat to O'Hern. The New Zealander scored a 67 to move into second place on 10 under.
Tinning's 72 left him alongside Scot Dean Robertson, the first day leader, and another Australian Peter Lonard.
Robertson, who had opened with a 65, put his second day 74 behind him by producing a 68 to stay right in the thick of things.
"They call Saturday 'moving day' and I've moved, so I'm happy," said the 30-year-old from Paisley, who also led in South Africa two weeks ago and eventually finished joint third with Nick Faldo.
"My goal in these early tournaments was to get into contention as many times as possible, feel the heat and know what aspects of my game I have to work on," he said.
"I'm finding out things about myself. My mind is strong and there's nothing better than being in the hunt. It's a great buzz."
He sank a 40-foot par putt on the second after driving under a bush and then birdied the third, seventh, 10th and 12th.
His only dropped shot was on the 17th, where he hooked an eight-iron, but a 10-foot birdie putt at the last left him feeling good about his chances.
Although the temperature was nothing like the 45-degree furnace of previous years, Robertson had an umbrella held over his head by his caddie between shots.
"Not feeling cooked makes a huge difference to me and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow," he added.
O'Hern was little-known outside Australia until he got a late invitation to the world match play championship in Melbourne a month ago and reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winner Steve Stricker.
That earned him over Stg£100,000 and now another Stg£108,000 could be going into the bank account of the man whose total earnings in his first year on the Australasian circuit only four years ago were less than Stg£200.
The 29-year-old, who out-scored playing partners Greg Norman and Faldo on the first two days, said: "I got off to a slow start, but even after bogeys on the fourth and fifth I felt I was still playing well and I stayed patient.
"My caddie said there was no cause to panic with 31 holes to go. It comes down to a mental game tomorrow, who stays the calmest."
Norman looked like moving onto the heels of the leader when he had a four-foot putt to go to nine under on the 11th.
But the former world number one three-putted and finished in joint seventh spot on seven under.
Playing partner Thomas Bjorn, winner three years ago and second to Campbell last year, did even worse, dropping to 15th on five under with a 73.
Alongside him is Swindon's David Howell, who did not even know he would be able to play at the start of the day.
The 25-year-old, who had survived the halfway cut with nothing to spare at one over par, fired a six under par 66 to give himself an outside chance of the first prize.
"Two days ago I was putting a room service tray outside my room and tweaked my knee," said Howell. "It was worse this morning and I thought I was going to struggle to tee off."
After receiving physiotherapy once he was at the course, the 1999 Dubai Desert Classic champion had only 15 minutes to practice.
But things went so well afterwards that he was left wondering whether it was the way he should prepare every day. His round included an outrageous 108-foot putt on the 15th.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose, another to make the cut right on the limit of one over, got back to the form which earned him second places on his last two starts in South Africa.
The 20-year-old from Hampshire improved seven strokes on his second round 75, and said: "I only missed two fairways and two greens and it could have been even better than 68.
"I was really pleased to birdie the last yesterday to make the weekend (he came out of a bunker to three feet). It keeps my momentum going this season and it would be nice to go through the whole year without missing a cut."
Nice indeed for a player whose professional career started with 21 successive misses.
Australian Peter Senior had the second hole-in-one of the tournament.
After Ian Poulter's ace at the 196-yard 16th yesterday - a day too early for the Stg£40,000-worth of casino chips on offer in the last two rounds - Senior made his at the 195-yard eighth. No prize was up for grabs there either, though.
For Poulter it was right hole, wrong day. For Senior it was right day, wrong hole.
PA