Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland and American Lucas Glover will go out last as joint leaders on four-under par but there is a mighty pack breathing right down their necks.
No fewer than 42 players are within five shots of their score, with even the back markers and first men out on Saturday only a further two behind on three-over par.
After two breezy but relatively benign days, the south-coast weather is forecast to take a considerable turn for the worse over the weekend with strong winds and rain expected.
Many players are predicting that a four-round level-par finish could be enough to lift the Claret Jug.
Consequently, the onus will be on minimising mistakes on Saturday as nobody will want to rule themselves out of what could be an almighty bun fight for the title 24 hours later.
