Noren's fifth win since July by far his crowning achievement

Of those toward the head of the leaderboard at the start of play, all joined in the fun, but Shane Lowry and Stenson were at the forefront. The Irishman made five birdies to reach the turn in 30; the Swede was 5 under through 12 holes. The final pairing of Branden Grace and 54-hole leader Andrew Dodt were more becalmed, but also ticking more holes than they squared.

Ahead of them all, and 7 shots in deficit at the start of play, the flawless Noren was exceptional, making four front nine birdies to move into the top 10, then adding three more in three holes from the 12th to grab a share of the lead.

Initially it was only a brief stay at the top as those behind him pushed on, but he drained a…