Although world number nine Casey admitted before the tournament that the course at Doha Golf Club didn't suit him visually, he seemed to be well focused as he stormed through the field with a near-flawless round of 66 (-6) that saw him storm to the top of the leaderboard alongside Welshman Dredge who carded a 72 (-2).

'I think it's my best round around this golf course in four years of trying, so I can't say anything bad about it,' smiled Casey after a round of seven birdies was spoiled by a bogey on the notoriously difficult fifteenth hole. 'Three times I have missed the cut so to be sitting here at the top of the leaderboard makes me smile.'

'Tomorrow is just a case of going out and having fun and giving myself as many opportunities to make birdies as I can. If somebody starts playing great golf and I need to react to that and maybe force the issue, then I'll go for things a little bit. But I've had a good game plan on where to hit it and what to hit off every tee, and I'm just going to stick with that.'

For Dredge, it's a welcome return to the top of the leaderboard and the Welshman is determined to stay there with vital world ranking points at stake and a shot at a place in Europe?s Ryder Cup team in mind.

'Making a Ryder Cup in Wales is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,' he said. 'There's no reason to think I can?t make the team but there are probably 150 other guys who think the same. There are players like Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Rory McIllroy and Padraig Harrington who will form the base of the team but it's up to me to play well and try and grab a place.'

Dredge's hard work over the winter season seems to be paying off but the final round will see a whole host of others believing they can win the $ 416,600 first prize as well as the world ranking points on offer. Among them is world number four Lee Westwood in third place just one shot off the leaders despite suffering a broken driver mid-way through his round.

'I think on the tenth tee, I may have smashed the face of the driver - I looked at it and it had a crack there on the face so that one is gone,' said Westwood after a third round 70 (-2). A replacement driver proved difficult to get used to but the European number 1 remains firmly in contention going into the final day.

'I'm obviously only one behind, so it's a good position to be in and tomorrow I?ll try and come out and have a fresh start and get on a roll,' he added.

Also still in the hunt is overnight leader Brett Rumford (73) who holds joint fourth place with Robert Karlsson (70) on eight under par, while defending champion Alvaro Quiros and England?s Oliver Wilson are a shot further behind on seven under, one stroke ahead of Richard Bland, Marc Warren and world number 19 Retief Goosen.

Goosen - a winner here in 2007 - made a big move through the field with a morning round of 66 (-6) but the South African believes it should have been so much better.

'There comes a time when you know you had a chance for a really low round but overall I?m very happy although it means I am going to have to shoot something under 65 to have a chance to win,' he said after carding seven birdies in what were superb playing conditions with little wind.

But while it was a good day at the office for one former champion, for 2006 Qatar winner Henrik Stenson it's a day he will want to forget - a five over par 77 ended his interest in a second crown, while America's Kenny Perry fired a 71 (-1) to finish some eleven shots behind the leader.

Leaders after round three: Dredge (WAL), Casey (ENG) -10; Westwood (ENG) -9: Karlsson (SWE), Rumford (AUS) -8; Quiros (ESP), Wilson (ENG)

-7: Bland (ENG), Goosen (RSA), Warren (SCO) -6

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