Lee Westwood cut something of a disappointed figure despite shooting 65 in the third round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Westwood was seven-under for his first 11 holes but he struggled after that and admitted he had a lot of hard work to do over the winter.
The Worksop star has struggled badly for form over the second half of the season, with only one top-25 finish since he came home third in The Open Championship at Muirfield.
After such a positive start, he bogeyed the 12th and managed only one further birdie in good scoring conditions, having to battle to save par at the last after finding the water.
"I got in my own way a little bit around the back nine there," Westwood said.
"It's a good 65 but seven under through 11, you're looking for a few less than that. I could have been 10-under conceivably, but 65 puts me in with a better chance than when I went off this morning.
"I didn't mind bogeying the 12th, that's a difficult hole, but I hit it close on the 13th and the 16th and missed both.
"I've not been playing very well. I've not been hitting it close and not been making anything.
"My swing hasn't been in sync all year, I'm sort of fumbling my way around the golf course and it's something I'm going to work on over the winter, but I can build on the momentum this week has given me."
Good round for Westwood
The round left him six shots adrift of leader Henrik Stenson, who finished with four birdies in five holes to all but end anyone's hopes of catching him atop the Race to Dubai.
The late run did little to ease the task ahead of Graeme McDowell, who now needs a turnaround of miraculous proportions to catch Stenson.
Before Stenson's finish, he said: "I think there is a weak pulse still there.
"Hats off to Henrik, he came here this week and is doing exactly what he needs to do.
"He has been the best player in the world the last six months and he needs to slip up tomorrow and I need to mount a massive challenge. I have not done much better than 68 round here before and I will need to do so tomorrow.
"I have not played my best the last three rounds but I am proud of how I have hung tough. I am still alive and kicking."
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