By his own admission, Edfors - who had held a two-shot overnight lead - 'crawled into the scorer's hut' but the Swede remains the man at the top of the leader-board as the tournament moves into its final day.

'I had a pretty solid front nine but slumped over the last few holes,' he said.

'Saturday has usually been my worse day on the course so I think I'll be less nervous tomorrow and will need to shoot a score in the mid-60s to win. But if the conditions stay the same, someone can shoot seven, eight, nine-under-par so I know I'll need a good score to win the tournament.'

Like Coltart, Edfors has struggled of late since winning three Tour titles in 2006. But the Scot seems at home over the sprawling Doha course and is well on course to become the first double winner of the Qatari event.

'I've played well in the past and anything can happen tomorrow,' said Coltart. 'Ultimately, it was a monumental loss of confidence that saw me lose my card. Although it's a great tour, you can also continue in a downward spiral? it's almost a case of burnout. But I'm in a good position and don't have to prove to anybody that I can win because I know I can.'

Edfors and Coltart may be the Qatar comeback kings but one man they'll both have to be wary of is 2006 Masters champion Henrik Stenson who sits ominously just two shots off the lead..

'I'll just go out there and try to play aggressive again tomorrow,' said Stenson after carding a 67 (-5). 'Hopefully on the back nine I'll have a chance to win it. That's all you can ask of yourself. It's going to be tight with so many guys up in the top, and I'm just happy to put myself in good position again.'

Like Coltart, another former champion carding a seven-under-par 65 was world no. 8 Adam Scott who provided a dream pairing with the teenage Irish sensation Rory McIlroy. The Irishman - who shot 66 to go to eight-under - got off to a flyer with an eagle three on the first before his Australian playing partner got into his groove.

'I didn't have any rhythm on the front nine but managed to get it around, made a couple of good saves and held on to Rory's coat tails as he went roaring off,' said Scott, who sits on nine-under, one shot ahead of McIlroy. 'It was fun playing with him - when he went out and holed for eagle on the first I thought this kid is really good. The sky is the limit for him.'

Leaders after round three: Edfors (SWE) -12: Coltart (SCO) -11; Schwartzel (RSA), Stenson (SWE) -10; Scott (AUS), McGowan (ENG), Haig (RSA) -9; McIlroy (NIR), Cevaer (FRA), Montgomerie (SCO) -8.

More information on the Commercialbank Qatar Masters 2008 is available at the official website www.qatar-masters.com