Feroz came in with a five-under 67, as against Vijay Kumar's four-under 68, but the latter hung on to the lead and was ahead by four strokes going into the final round.

Going by the cards the past three days, a four-stroke lead would amount to nothing and the final day tomorrow promises a virtual shootout between Vijay Kumar and Feroz in this Rs 7-lakh prize-money event which kicked off the '99 Wills Sport Tour.

At the end of the third round, Vijay was on 13-under 203, followed by Feroz Ali at 207, Gaurav Ghei of Delhi at 211, while Amit Dube, who came in from nowhere with a four-under 68 on Friday, shared the fourth spot with Uttam Singh Mundy, Shiv Prakash and Amritinder Singh, all at 213.

Vijay Kumar, as in the previous rounds, struck the ball well and with somuch confidence that it more than made up for his short game which, as per his own admission, has not been his forte in this tournament.

The second shot out of the trees on the 16th exemplified Vijay Kumar's shot-making prowess as he squeezed the ball through a four-feet gap between the top of the fence and the branches after he pulled the tee-shot to the left which landed him beneath the tree. But for his putting which was rather inconsistent, Vijay Kumar, the '98 Order of Merit leader, would have been in far happier position.

Though the 31-year old Mahindra Player of the Year award winner, had begun well with birdies on the first three holes, he could not sustain the early momentum. He managed two more birdies, on the fifth and 10th, while bogeying the ninth and parring the rest.

On the other hand, '98 Indian Open winner Feroz, with seven birdies, five of them before the turn, kept pace with Vijay Kumar, despite bogeying the eighth. The 30-foot birdie putt on the very first hole set him up for therest of the journey as he knocked in birdies on the 10th and 16th also before losing his way just a bit on the par-4, dog-leg 18th which he bogeyed.

The tee-shot placed him awkwardly near the bushes and his second shot landed him in the bunker from which he got out well enough only to two-putt for a bogey.

Though trailing by four strokes, Feroz fancied his chances on Saturday as he said: ``I will play my natural game tomorrow. Vijay Kumar is a long hitter which is a distinct advantage he enjoys. But if I chip and putt as well as I did today, then anything can happen (tomorrow).''

Meanwhile, defending champion Gaurav Ghei of Delhi, came in with a two-under 70 with a wildly swinging card of five birdies and three bogeys and was still to come to grips with his swing on which he has worked with Australian coach Kel Lewelyn, earlier in the year.

LEADING SCORES

Professionals: 203 - Vijay Kumar (69,66, 68); 207 - Feroz Ali (70, 70, 67); 211 - Gaurav Ghei (67, 74, 70); 213 - Amit Dube (72,73,68),Uttam Singh Mundy (75,68,70), Shiv Prakash (71,69,73), Amritinder Singh (70,70,73); 215 - Basad Ali (73,73,69), Rejwan Ali (69,73,73); 216 - Sanjay Kumar (71,74,71), Bhoop Singh (71,72,73), Gast Ram (69,74,73), Ali Sher (65,77,74); 217 - Rohtas Singh (74,70,73), Mukesh Kumar (70,74,73).

Amateurs: 226 - CV Yudhvir (76,70,80); 234 - Gaurav Syal (76,77,81); 237 - Vivek Vijayaraghavan (75,80,82), D Nagaraj (76,78,83).