Lucas Lee made a charge on Saturday, shooting a 7-under 65 to share the lead with Rob Grube heading into the final round of the Canadian Tour's Riviera Nayarit Classic.
Lee and Grube, who shot 68, are at 18-under after three rounds, two shots ahead of Johnny Bloomfield (67) and Randall Hutchison (69). James Allenby of Langley, B.C., (66) and Andy Walker (69) are tied at 15-under.
Oliver Tubb of Vancouver (70) and Brad Fritsch (70) of Manotick, Ont., are both seven shots back at 11-under, while Adam Hadwin (69) of Abbotsford, B.C., Matt Daniel (69) of Richmond, B.C., and Derek Gillespie (74) of Oshawa, Ont., are at 10-under.
Scoring conditions weren't favourable, with winds swirling throughout Litibu Golf Club, but that didn't slow Lee down.
The 22-year-old birdied his first two holes before giving a shot back on the par-3 fourth. He answered that with a 22-foot eagle putt on the fifth and finished at 4-under for the front side. On the back nine, Lee birdied four of his final five holes to share the lead heading into Sunday.
"It feels really good to be in contention again," said Lee. "I tried not to think too much about where I was and just stick to my game plan."
Grube was even through his first 10 holes, but made four birdies in the final eight to hang on to his share of the lead. He sunk a 30-foot putt for birdie on the 15th and, on the par-5 closing hole, knocked his second shot to within 25 feet before finishing with a two-putt birdie.
"The golf course was playing a lot more difficult today, at least for me," said Grube. "To be honest, I was fine to be where I was after ten holes - not thrilled with it, but no complaints. I knew I had a few opportunities coming in."
Lee and Grube know each other well from their college days. Grube helped lead Stanford to the 2007 national championship, while Lee played at UCLA.
With several others well within striking distance of the leaders, Grube knows it's going to take another low round to emerge victorious.
"More than anything, I'm excited with the way I've been playing," Grube added. "You never know what could happen tomorrow. Someone could shoot 59, or it could fall right into your lap. It's going to take another good round. I'll just go out and try to do the same things I've done for three days.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."