NSW golfer Matthew Giles holed a six-iron second shot on Saturday for a spectacular eagle to put in his bid for the Victorian Open crown.
The perfect approach to the 420-metre 13th hole was the cornerstone of his course record-equalling 64 in the third round at 13th Beach golf links on the Bellarine Peninsula.
"I had 182m and it looked good all the way. You can't see the pin and we heard applause and thought it must have just gone past the hole. But they kept clapping and it was definitely a bonus," he said.
Giles is tied for the lead with Queenslander Jake McLeod at 17-under-par after the overnight leader also grabbed a birdie at the par-5 18th for a four-under 68.
They are two strokes clear of NSW pair Jake Higginbotham (66) and Dimitrios Papadatos (69), with Victorian Lucas Herbert a shot further away. Herbert's 66 put him in contention heading into Sunday's final round.
Giles, after tying sixth at last week's Victorian PGA at Huntingdale, will seek housemate James Nitties' assistance again to set him up for a shot at the title.
"James cooked a nice little spag bowl last night, so we might get him to do the same. Just a quiet night in," he said.
"You look around with such great crowds and the boost in the prize money, it would be great (to win). I was very pleased with the day and, obviously, in a good position for tomorrow. I hit a poor tee shot at 17 for a bogey and it was good to get the birdie back on the last."
Herbert, 21, also is pressing for a breakthrough home win after several times being within reach of the lead in the last round.
"I'm sick of not winning. So that's going to be driving me tomorrow. Every time you get up near the lead like this, you feel more comfortable, like you belong. So it's good to see your name featuring there and giving it a run," he said.
2015 champion Richard Green was one of the early movers, carding a seven-under 65 to push into a large pack at 12 under, five shots off the pace.
"The pressure when you're leading and trying to maintain a lead, that can subconsciously unsettle you a little bit in my experience," Green said.
"I give myself a chance to be there somewhere. I think if I'm within five shots, I should be alright."
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