Low-scoring Lawry Flynn has lit up Bonnie Doon with a record-setting round to set the stage for another exciting finish to the TPS Sydney.
Flynn entered golf's history books with a spectacular 12-under-par 60 on Saturday as teenage amateur Jeffrey Guan and fellow Sydney local Daniel Gale ended the third round sharing a two-shot lead.
Gale and 18-year-old Guan signed for matching 65s to surge to 17 under, with Order of Merit leader David Micheluzzi their closest pursuer, two strokes back after a 64.
But the day belonged to Flynn after the 24-year-old Queenslander joined Paul Gow and four-time major winner Ernie Els as only the third player to card a 60 in a four-round PGA of Australasia Tour event.
Flynn missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the last to notch an elusive 59 but was still suitably chuffed with his career round.
"Sixty's a pretty special number. It's a really small group. It's cool. Obviously 59 is elite but 60's something that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," he said.
After only making the halfway cut on the number on Friday night, then teeing off in the fourth group on Saturday morning, Flynn incredibly found himself holding the clubhouse lead by lunchtime.
His magnificent round featured an 11-under stretch in 12 holes courtesy of two eagles - including a hole in one on the par-3 15th - and eight birdies.
"I've had 10 under in a club comp at Ipswich Golf Club so to get to 11 was pretty nice. And to do it in a tour event where it actually matters is even better," Flynn said before ending the day in a tie for fourth at 14 under, just three off the pace, with long-time Bonnie Doon Club member Jordan Zunic (65).
"The whole day I was hitting it fairly solid and I was rolling the putts exactly where I was seeing them.
"It was towards the end - when I birdied the par-5 - I knew that today was going to be pretty low because I still had a few good birdie holes coming up.
"That's where the round felt like I was getting a little bit edgy.
"And then I had the hole-in-one on the next hole and then had to bring myself down."
TPS Murray River winner Sarah Jane Smith also shot low - an eight-birdie, two-eagle 62 - to charge to 13 under and rocket into contention for a second victory in three weeks.
Smith shares sixth with Kiwi Josh Geary (64) and WA Open champion Deyen Lawson (66).
A year after Jarryd Felton edged out Brendan Jones in a playoff, some 17 players will enter Sunday's final round within six shots of the lead.
Jones (70) is among them, in a tie for ninth at 12 under with Sarah Kemp (64) and Tom Power Horan (68).
But runaway halfway leader Grace Kim followed up her sizzling 64-64 start with a deflating three-over 75 to fall to 10 under, leaving her eight back.
