His impressive eight under round of 63, on a par with John Wade's eight year-old record, included nine birdies and an eagle to take him to 13 under for the tournament going into the final round.

"Obviously, I'm very comfortable out here on this golf course. I've probably played here more than I've played any other course in the world," the Australian explained.

"I think I left a few shots out there weirdly enough, but I think I stole a couple as well, so it all balances out."

Two behind in second place, Poulter carded a 69 after a difficult round in the gusty conditions, having managed to fight off a bout of food poisoning which had affected his play on Friday.

"Hats off to Geoff for going out and scoring eight-under-par in that wind today, it's a great score. When someone posts a course record on Saturday they generally move forward," he said.

"Geoff's done that and I'll be chasing him down tomorrow."

In joint third going into Sunday's final round are Australian pair Nathan Green and Ashley Hall, two strokes ahead of a group of five which includes Peter Lonard and Greg Chalmers.

Luke Donald sits eight strokes off the pace after another difficult day on the greens, ending his third round with a 69.