His heroics there have not changed his perceptions about the hole, though. He still thinks it's "a bit of a pain."

For the second day running Fisher birdied the 471-yard 18th and, with nearest challenger Graeme McDowell driving into the water and bogeying, the 27-year-old has opened up and handy leading heading into the final day at The London Club.

Nobody else had birdied the 18th all day in the 25mph winds and Fisher said: "It's a great finishing hole from a spectator's point of view, but a bit of a pain from a player's point of view.

"When I hit my drive I was just thinking 'please carry the water, carry the water' and you could probably see the huge relief.

"I think mine may have caused Graeme to take a more aggressive line."

From the perfect position Fisher then struck a 151-yard nine-iron to eight feet and made it for a 69 and 16 under total.

He and McDowell were level when the both eagled the 548-yard 15th, but McDowell, two ahead after seven holes of the round, then bogeyed the 16th.

McDowell, himself three ahead of third-placed David Frost, commented: "We had a lot of fun out there, but obviously I'm disappointed with my finish.

"Ross kind of pull-hooked his drive and I proceeded to do the same. I'm not quite as long as him and didn't get away with it."

Eleventh on the Ryder cup table, he added: "I realise the outcomes of potential finishes tomorrow, but this is not the last chance saloon for me this weekend.

"There will be enough pressure on me without overly thinking about that."

The hole had wreaked havoc with Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose among its victims, but Fisher hit a superb drive and then an approach to eight feet.

The putt gave him a 69 to add to his course record 63 and Friday 68 for a 54-hole total of 200.

Ironically, earlier in the week Fisher had thought strongly about not playing, so tired was he after successfully coming through 36 holes of Open qualifying on Monday.

He is certainly glad now he carried on and he has a golden opportunity for his second Tour win eight months after blowing the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai with a closing double bogey seven - and 14 months after finishing the BMW PGA Championship on his home course with an 84 when he was the joint leader overnight.

McDowell's bogey meant he signed for a 71 and it still looks as if it might be between the two for the £400,000 first prize.

South African David Frost, at 48 years 9 months trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history, is in third place on 10 under following a 69.

The former US Tour multiple winner was close to being the only player all day to get round without a dropped shot, but bogeyed the last.

Joint fourth on eight under are Ireland's Paul McGinley, Dane Soren Hansen and Swede Michael Jonzon.

Sergio Garcia, favourite for the title when he played the first six in one under, came home in 39 to be in a tie for seventh. That included a double bogey six on the 13th when he was put off by a photographer on the tee and shanked into knee-high rough.

Defending champion Montgomerie came to the last three holes nine under, but bogeyed them all to slide to joint 10th nine strokes back.

After a drive into deep rough on the 16th the Scot, runner-up in France last Sunday and so keen to build on that to improve his Ryder Cup chances if nothing more, failed to get up and down from over the green on the short 17th and then pulled his drive into the lake on the last.

"I'm not the story - I think you'll find I'm not the story," he said afterwards, having first of all thrown his ball into a dustbin.

A big finish could still make it another good week in his comeback, but Ian Poulter is back in the pack on two under after a 77.

The damage was done in a front nine 41 that began with him suddenly remembering he had not bandaged the wrist he has been been protecting since pulling out of the US Open three weeks ago.

A physio came out on the course, but he called it "a schoolboy error", adding: "I completely and utterly forgot."

He did not blame the wrist for his poor day, though. "It's hard to make birdies when it's 30mph and with pins tucked away you can only hit to 30 feet.

"When we got it wrong it was wrong and when we got it right it was wrong. Tough day at the office - they happen."

Open champion Harrington, having made the cut with only a shot to spare, improved from 33rd to 14th with an eventful 69.

Out in 31 and on the leaderboard at one point, he bogeyed three of the next five, had a second eagle on the day on the 548-yard 15th, but then drove into the lake at the last for a closing bogey.

The Dubliner was quick to take the positives out of the day.

"The game is in far better shape than at any stage last year," he said. "This is a good fore-runner for The Open - as close to links golf as a parkland course is going to get."

Rose, last season's European number one, is left with only a confidence-building exercise in the last round after slumping to joint 60th of the 70 players with a 77.

That was completed with a triple bogey seven on the last, Rose compounding the error of his drive into the water with a fluffed chip into the bunker short of the green.

ALL THE THIRD ROUND SCORES
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

200 Ross Fisher 63 68 69

203 Graeme McDowell 65 67 71

206 David Frost (Rsa) 65 72 69

208 Soren Hansen (Den) 69 67 72, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 69 68 71, Paul McGinley 69 68 71

209 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 68 72 69, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 71 64 74, Stephen Gallacher 70 68 71

210 Peter Hanson (Swe) 68 71 71, Rory McIlroy 67 71 72, Colin Montgomerie 70 67 73, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 72 71 67

211 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 71 68 72, Padraig Harrington 72 70 69

212 Sion Bebb 74 67 71, Robert Rock 68 71 73, Gary Orr 73 67 72, James Kingston (Rsa) 69 69 74, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 75 67 70, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 71 71 70

213 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 74 66 73, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 71 70 72, Carl Suneson (Spa) 72 69 72, Markus Brier (Aut) 71 71 71, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 70 69 74

214 Steve Webster 73 70 71, Robert Coles 76 66 72, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 73 69 72, Ian Poulter 70 67 77, Richard Green (Aus) 73 69 72, Gregory Havret (Fra) 73 68 73, Thomas Levet (Fra) 72 70 72

215 Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 76 66 73, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 69 73 73, Mark Brown (USA) 75 68 72, Graeme Storm 76 66 73, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 72 69 74, Anthony Wall 70 70 75, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 74 69 72, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 69 73 73, Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 71 74

216 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 73 73, Garry Houston 72 70 74, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 73 70 73, Benn Barham 70 72 74, David Howell 71 72 73, Stuart Manley 70 70 76, Oliver Fisher 72 70 74, Andrew Oldcorn 73 70 73, Gary Murphy 72 71 73, Jamie Donaldson 73 70 73, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 68 75 73, Bradley Dredge 75 66 75

217 Pelle Edberg (Swe) 71 72 74, David Lynn 68 72 77

218 David Griffiths 71 72 75, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 72 70 76, Simon Dyson 73 69 76

219 Justin Rose 69 73 77, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 72 70 77, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 71 71 77, Simon Khan 70 72 77, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 68 75 76

220 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 74 66 80, Hennie Otto (Rsa) 72 70 78, Paul Lawrie 73 68 79, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 73 70 77, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 68 73 79

221 Paul Broadhurst 72 71 78