Dodt prevailed at the end of an absorbing third round at RACV Royal Pines after challengers shared the lead, then stumbled on an energy-sapping day of oppressive heat, tricky winds and threatening storms on the Gold Coast.

The 30-year old Queenslander grafted his way to a solid 70 to have a two-stroke advantage over Victorian Ashley Hall (70) and exciting American Harold Varner III, who eagled two of his closing four holes for a slick 67.

Four shots off the lead are Adam Scott (70), who had an awful back nine, and experienced PGA Tour campaigner John Senden (68).

Scott, who started the day four strokes adrift of Dodt, loomed ominously when he closed his front nine with birdie, eagle to be out in 32.

Just when Adam Scott looked like he would take the Championship by the scruff of the neck, his radar went awry. PHOTO: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

His radar went awry on the 10th when he took an iron off the tee for safety, only to pull the shot into water on the left and he bogied the hole.

Scott salvaged pars on the 11th and 12th holes despite playing out of the rough and a fairway bunker respectively.

Again he found water from the tee on the par-4 13th to make bogey and then botched a putt of less than a metre for another bogey on the par-3 16th.

“I will have to come out with a good front nine and get near the lead tomorrow,’’ he said. “That’s what I did today but didn’t go on with it.

Andrew Dodt (right) plays a successful escape shot from the trees during his third round. PHOTO: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

“I made a couple of bad swings, bad shots into the water. I didn’t hit it that great.

“It was tricky, especially on the cross-wind holes. It was tough to judge.’’

Dodt, who has notched two European Tour wins (in India and Thailand) and won the 2014 Queensland Open, was unfazed by the prospect of chasing a $250,000 winner’s cheque and a further two-year European Tour exemption at Royal Pines.

“Obviously it would be huge for me but I will just go out and play my own game,’’ he said.

“There are a lot of very good players in contention, not just Adam (Scott). I feel very comfortable here in the wind and on the greens ... I’ve made some pretty good putts this week.

“My wins have been from behind, so this position is new to me, which is nice, I'm enjoying it. I'm really trying to embrace it and enjoy my time out there on the course. 

“The first three rounds are irrelevant now. There are a lot of solid players, world class players behind me, so I've got to keep the foot down tomorrow and keep playing the way I'm playing.”

THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD   |   FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES

Dodt, who is a product of the Lockyer Valley town of Gatton, has lived the past eight years in Newcastle, which is the home town of his wife, Ashleigh.

Harold Varner III celebrates his second eagle in three holes with his caddie. PHOTO: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

Varner, who prepared for his round with a morning game of blackjack at Jupiter’s Casino, battled to ignite his round but exploded with a 20-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole after a 365-metre drive, and then holed out from the fairway on the par-4 17th for another eagle.

Hall, beaten in a play-off at the Emirates Australian Open two weeks ago, also had two eagles on his card (on the 9th and 15th) but finished with two bogies for a 70.

Olympian Scott Hend, who started the day in 42nd place, shot a fine 66 to improve 35 positions on the leaderboard. He shares seventh spot with England’s Steve Webster (65) and American Julian Suri (72).

Hend produced his best on the homeward nine holes with a hat-trick of birdies from the 10th and an eagle on the 15th. His only blemish came when he dropped a stroke on his penultimate hole.

The 43-year old Queenslander has enjoyed a stellar year with two tournament victories on the European and Asian Tours as well as representing his country at the Rio Olympics. He also lost a playoff at the European Masters.

Hend is chasing a strong finish at Royal Pines and at next week’s Hong Kong Open in an attempt to lift his world ranking to inside the top-50 which would mean a start at the 2017 US Masters.

Webster and Sam Brazel, who is at 5-under, appreciated the benign early conditions to card seven-under 65s.

Ash Hall is hoping he can go on better than his Australian Open runner-up finish. PHOTO: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

Webster started spectacularly to birdie six of seven holes on the front nine and made the turn in 30. His only bogey came on the par-five 12th.

Brazel did not concede a bogey in a fine round that elevated him to five-under for the tournament. The 38-year-old from Lismore in country NSW is a regular on the Asian Tour where he was third-leading Australian behind Hend and Dodt in 2015.

Victorian amateur Brett Coletta continued to impress in top company with a round of 70 to be at five-under for the tournament.

The last group of the final round – Hall, Varner and Dodt – tees off at RACV Royal Pines at 11am (Queensland local time). Scott, Kiwi Ryan Fox and Senden are in the penultimate group.