Birdie blitz puts Eweb Ferguson in the frame at Qatar Masters

Seven players held the lead in some capacity during a roller-coaster Saturday at Doha Golf Club before the leading trio nudged ahead to 10 under par with 18 holes to play.

Overnight leader Haydn Barron briefly increased his total to 10 under after opening with a birdie before his challenge quickly tailed off thanks to three dropped shots and a triple bogey on his front nine.

The chasing pack closed in as Barron slipped down to seven under, with playing partner Hoshino, Hojgaard, Ewen Ferguson and Paul Waring all moving into the five-strong leading group.

Hoshino birdied the seventh hole to climb to the top at eight under, but Ferguson was on the charge further ahead as he moved in front for the first time on his own.

Ferguson had to wait until the seventh to pick up his first shot of the day, but a run of six birdies in eight holes saw him alone at nine under after 14 holes.

Coussaud moved to that mark on the back of a hat-trick of birdies from the eighth, only for Hoshino to surge ahead at 10 under following gains at the ninth and 10th.

The Japanese player immediately handed a shot back at the next, just as Frenchman Coussaud climbed into a two-shot lead at 11 under thanks to successive birdies from the 12th.

Coussaud's lead was cut by one when he bogeyed the 15th and Hojgaard quickly joined him at the summit with a birdie at the penultimate hole.

Hoshino made it a three-way lead at the top by copying the Dane's score at the 17th before all the trio each parred the closing hole.

Hojgaard, who has been not dropped a shot in his last 33 holes, said: "Most part of the round was very solid. I felt I was pretty good out of the tee box, I gave myself some good chances and rolled a few in.

"The last few holes there were a couple of poor swings, but managed to keep it bogey-free so that's a positive."

Ferguson carded the joint-lowest round of the tournament with a flawless six-under-par 66 to sit one back alongside Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin and Niklas Norgaard.

English pair Waring and Sam Bairstow are at eight under, while Barron battled back to join first-round leader Ashun Wu and Jorge Campillo one stroke further back.