An eagle at the par-4 17th kept Sergio Garcia within reach of the leaders ahead of the final day of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
His two at the penultimate hole on Saturday helped the 2017 champion to a 5-under par round of 67, and a tournament total of 10-under.
Ahead of Sunday’s final round at the Majlis, that left the Spaniard tied for fourth place, five shots in arrears of Paul Casey, the leader.
“You definitely feel different, there's no doubt,” Garcia said, when asked how the feeling of being in contention for titles now compared to his early days on tour.
“Obviously things have changed a lot since then. [But] the excitement is still there.
“It is exciting, and you feel nervous early on and stuff like that, which is normal, because it means that you really want it.
“You try to take it the best way possible and be as positive as you can be, commit to everything that you're doing, even though it's not easy.
“You try to do that and hopefully have a great day and see what happens.”
Garcia is tied in fourth with Laurie Canter, whose third-round 68 might have been so much better, were it not for a run of three bogeys in the space of five holes on the back nine.
The Englishman said he felt “beat up” by his return home, but is happy to be in contention on the final afternoon.
“I'm in a great spot with a round to go,” Canter said.
“So I'm very happy about that and I'm hitting the ball well. I've been giving myself a chance.
“I've just been really focused on what I'm doing from tee-to-green, trying to create some shots and just kind of allow that competitive instinct to come out a bit more.”