Meath's Damien McGrane defied the miserable conditions to card a superb 67 that left him two shots adrift of hometown leader Joost Luiten after the third round of the KLM Open in Zandvoort.
McGrane, whose sole European Tour victory to date in the 2008 China Open was achieved in similar wet and windy weather, recorded three birdies and no bogeys to reach eight under par at Kennemer Golf Club.
The 42-year-old began the day four shots off the lead, but with the leaders getting the worst of the conditions he will be in a position to go for his second European Tour win on Sunday.
“It was really enjoyable, my short game was razor sharp which you need in tough conditions. I managed not to drop any shots all day which was a great achievement I am very content,” said McGrane.
“I enjoyed it only because I was able to hang in there and picked up a couple of birdies close to the end which turned it into a very good day. When the conditions get tough it falls back on chipping and putting and today I was pretty good at it.
“Some of the holes are brutal, especially on the front nine, and when I weathered as far as number six I knew it would get a little easier. I’ve been showing reasonable form so I am looking forward to getting to this time tomorrow evening and see what it brings.”
Luiten rewarded the home fans for braving some miserable conditions by claiming a one-shot advantage on overnight leader Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Luiten carded a four-under-par 66 to finish 10 under par, while Jimenez battled to a level-par 70.
McGrane shares third place alongside France’s Julie Quesne, with three-time winner Simon Dyson and fellow Englishman Oliver Fisher a shot further back after matching 71s.
Luiten bogeyed the opening hole but chipped in twice for birdie – on the sixth and 16th – and also holed from 40 feet across the 17th green for another birdie to delight the large galleries.
“It was tough, it was a day all about surviving, especially on the front nine when it was raining and very windy,” said Luiten, who claimed his second European Tour title in the Lyoness Open in Austria in June.
“You knew it was going to be very tough, par was a pretty good score. If you said I would make par before we started I would probably have signed for it so four under is even better and I am pretty happy.”
The 27-year-old burst onto the scene by finishing second to Ross Fisher in this event at the same venue in 2007, but is coping well with the pressure of trying to win his national open.
“I am just trying to enjoy it, it’s great to see all the people out there even when its raining and a day like this,” he added.
“You know everyone is behind you and you just try to play as good as you can and that’s what I am trying to do.”
Jimenez, already the oldest winner in European Tour history after his win in the Hong Kong Open aged 48 and 318 days last November, carded 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey in his round, but fellow overnight leader Pablo Larrazabal slumped to a 77.
Larrazabal’s round got off to a nightmare start with a triple-bogey seven on the first and although he birdied the seventh after a bogey on the fifth, a back nine of 38 ended his chances of a third European Tour title.
Shane Lowry shot a 68 to move to five under and into the top 10, but Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley slipped back to two under after a 73.
Kevin Phelan also had a 73 and is back on two over, while a 75 from Simon Thornton left him on five over.
