Callum Tarren will take a slender one-shot lead into the final round of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship after holding off a stellar chasing pack on a roller-coaster third day.
The Englishman went into day three with a two-shot lead but was caught at the summit early on after opening with three straight pars.
His round then burst into life, with birdies at the fourth, sixth and seventh sending him four clear at the top of the leaderboard.
Callum Tarren will be looking to win for the first time on the DP World Tour tomorrow.
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 1, 2025
He has a one stroke lead going into the final round 📈#BahrainGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/vDZdzTo9r5
But there were more twists and turns to come as three bogeys in five holes from the eighth allowed countryman Dan Brown to join him at the top.
Tarren was never overtaken on Saturday, though, and finished the day alone at the summit on 13 under par after parring his way home to sign for a level-par 72.
The 34-year-old can take great confidence from his third-round performance as he goes in search of his maiden DP World Tour title on Sunday, having given himself plenty of birdie chances on the back nine.
But he will face strong competition from the high-quality quartet in second place just one shot back - Spain's Pablo Larrazábal, Italian Francesco Laporta and Englishmen Brown and Brandon Robinson Thompson.
Tarren made a patient start to his third round, parring the first three holes before picking up a birdie from 12 feet on the fourth hole.
He then curled in another birdie from 21 feet on the sixth to move two clear and found himself four shots in front after taking advantage of the par-three seventh.
After missing the eighth fairway, Tarren was unable to save par there but still took a three-shot cushion into the back nine.
That soon evaporated, though, as he made back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th to return to 13 under, with Brown eventually catching him at the top.
But despite missing good birdie chances at the 14th, 15th and 18th, Tarren finished the day in the lead after making pars at the final six holes.
He said: "I'm a bit frustrated really. I got off to such a good start, felt so comfortable.
"I just missed a few putts in that mid-section of the round, three-putted the eighth, a short one at the ninth, a good chance at the tenth and didn't capitalise.
"At the 11th I felt like the tee-shot wasn't bad, it got a hard kick right, I think. Then it's tough to that back flag, a short putt on the next.
"And then I kind of hung in there coming in. Frustrated but still in the lead and we'll go again tomorrow.
"I've felt comfortable all week and I felt comfortable out there today. The start showed it - through seven holes I was cruising.
"Just a couple of missed putts here and there but that's golf. Final group tomorrow again and I have the lead so there's lots of positives to take from it."
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