Pablo Martin will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Portugal Masters after a sizzling 63 at Vilamoura on Saturday.
Huldahl charges up leaderboard into second after stunning 61
Pablo Martin will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Portugal Masters after a sizzling 63 at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club on Saturday.
The 24-year-old will now be looking to secure the third European Tour victory of his career and his second of the 2010 season following his win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last December.
While Martin's superb 63 moved him clear of the field it was not the best round of the day, that honour instead falling to Jeppe Huldahl who fired a spectacular 61.
It was enough to see the Dane finish the day in a share of second on 15-under-par with Oliver Wilson who boosted his hopes of a first European Tour success with a 65.
Huldahl's round featured no fewer than 12 birdies with the 2009 Wales Open winner equalling the Tour record for consecutive birdies with seven in a row from the 11th.
Pole position
Thomas Aiken (65) of South Africa and Finland's Mikko Ilonen (69) share fourth at 14-under, with England's John Parry heading up a four-man group at 13-under.
Parry, recent winner of the Vivendi Cup, shot 64 to sit alongside Joost Luiten (65) of Holland, local pro Ricardo Santos (65) and overnight leader Maarten Lafeber who lost ground with a level-par 72.
But it is Martin who now sits in pole position at the top of the leaderboard following a round which featured two eagles in his first five holes.
After a birdie at the second, the Spaniard made a three at the 566-yard par-five third and repeated the trick at the fifth hole, another par-five.
His only blemish of the day came at the short eighth where he made a bogey, but he quickly regained momentum with a birdie at nine and four more followed on his way home.
Martin admitted afterwards his fast start had helped him go low, stating: "Those eagles were a massive boost to my confidence.
"It was a little tough out there, but to be five under after five holes I had everything right to make sure I had a good score."
The Spaniard was in contention going into the last round of last year's Portugal Masters as well, but is hoping to have learnt from the blow-up he endured 12 months ago.
"I will try to play better than I did last year," he added. "I was playing with Lee Westwood in the fourth round who went on to win, and I shot a 77."
Aggressive
Having only narrowly made the cut at four-under on Friday, Huldahl surged into the clubhouse lead after his extraordinary round.
The 61 lowered his previous career-best score on Tour by some five shots, although the 28-year-old acknowledged he became a little less aggressive towards the end of his round.
"Thoughts of shooting a 59 did cross my mind on my second shot at 17," he explained. "But I chickened out in the end because the pin at the 17th was in a very tight position and I missed the green left.
"Also the pin at 18 was very tight. But then there were always other shots to pick up, so I had a lot of good things happening out there"
Five men are locked together at 12-under with Charl Schwartzel heading up the group, while a total of 22 men are within seven shots of the lead.
