Branden Grace's story is one of the most remarkable ones of this golfing year - and another chapter is being written in Scotland this week.
The 24-year-old South African took a five-stroke lead, the biggest of the European Tour season, into the third round of the Dunhill Links Championship.
Victory at St Andrews on Sunday would give Grace an amazing fifth title of the year - and this by a player who under a year ago was outside the world's top 300, was preparing himself for a fifth successive visit to the Tour's qualifying school and in nearly 50 events on the circuit had never had a top three finish.
Now he is in the world's top 50 and even has a chance still to deny Rory McIlroy the money list title this side of the Atlantic.
Grace, round in a Tour record-equalling 60 at Kingsbarns on Thursday, added a 67 at the Home of Golf yesterday for a 17-under-par halfway total.
That was only one outside the Tour's lowest-ever 36-hole score set by compatriot Ernie Els at Royal Melbourne in 2004, but now comes the hard part - his third round was at Carnoustie, by far the toughest of the three courses used for the £3million celebrity pro-am.
The Pretoria player had already won back-to-back once this season and, having tasted more success in his home country last Sunday, said: "I just don't really know what's going on.
"I love the feeling of winning and I know that's what I want. I'm still just running with it.
"Where I was a year ago crosses my mind a bit. People remind me of it and I really have to sit down and think of what I've achieved and how fortunate I am to be in this position in my career."
Swede Joel Sjoholm and Dane Thorbjorn were his nearest overnight challengers. Chilean-born Sjoholm was also at Carnoustie today, but Olesen switched to Kingsbarns.
For the three members of Europe's Ryder Cup side in the field the first task was to survive tonight's cut to the leading 60 and ties.
Martin Kaymer, who sank the decisive point in Chicago last weekend, resumed joint 56th on three under, Peter Hanson 73rd on two under and Paul Lawrie 129th on one over.
