Nicolas Colsaerts opened up a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Amundi Open de France as fellow Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson roared into contention in Paris.
Gavin Moynihan is right in the mix, tied for fifth on eight under, five off the lead, following a third round 68. A decent round tomorrow could see the Dubliner secure his card but the 25 year old was very relaxed after his bogey-free round.
"I haven't thought about it once," he said of his Race to Dubai position. "I played Challenge Tour last week in Ireland and I played very chilled out golf. Similar conditions last week helped gear up for this week. It was tough, it was rainy, wind, long rough.
"It has been an easy transition from last week to to this week. So just freewheel it tomorrow again and see where it leaves us," he added.
"It was a nice day for it. If you played well today you could get a good score on this course," Moynihan told Sky Sports.
"A lot of play this week has been, not stress free, but it has been good," he added.
Moynihan and Scot Richie Ramsay were at eight under alongside Dane Joachim B Hansen, who carded a 69 that included a quintuple-bogey nine after going in the water twice on the 13th.
Belgian Colsaerts was a member of the European team that came back from 10-4 down to complete the Miracle at Medinah in 2012, while two years later Welshman Donaldson hit a towering iron into the 15th at Gleneagles to secure the point that ensured the trophy stayed on this side of the Atlantic.
Neither player has claimed a win since their starring roles at the biennial spectacular and both now find themselves needing strong finishes to the Race to Dubai season to keep their playing privileges for 2020.
Colsaerts' 67 on day three at Le Golf National moved him to 13 under and put him in pole position for a first victory in seven years, with South African George Coetzee his closest competition after a 70.
Donaldson - who was celebrating his 44th birthday in the French capital - was then at nine under alongside American Kurt Kitayama.
Colsaerts carded five birdies and a bogey as he turned a share of the overnight into a three-shot advantage, and he is keeping his focus purely on his game at Le Golf National.
"It would be amazing to win this thing but if I stay away from thinking that I think my chances will a lot higher than if I see this thing in front of me," he told europeantour.com.
"I'm on a mission, I have a lot to play for and it's not like actually winning this tournament is at the forefront of my mind, you still have to play shots."
A string of injury troubles - including an accident with a chainsaw in 2016 - have hampered Donaldson in the last five years but he is confident he still has the mentality that has brought him three European Tour victories.
"You don't really try to remember your birthday when you get to 40-plus but a memorable day on my birthday," he said after carding a 66 containing six birdies and a single dropped shot.
"I'll just keep playing the way I've been playing the last three days, which is being aggressive. I've got a gameplan but I need to be pushing on to try to win the tournament."
